As long as I have been with Gary, he has always lavished me with material gifts, it never ended, and it was constant. In my life quest before Christ it was received without question. I was never materialistic but with him in my life I had no choice. He always asked for the best. We weren’t first class people yet but I remember one of our first flights together in 1998 he stood at the counter and said, do you have the bulkhead seat available (you could do that back then with no extra charge). “Yes we do” was always the reply. I said, I didn’t know you could ask for that… You don’t get anything if you don’t ask he would tell me. He bought large but he always got a deal, because he always asked.
So life went on easy going, nothing and no one stood in our way and we had many people with us at his expense… He always liked an entourage.
Then came April 2009 when Jesus came to me in a bar scene where I had crashed and burned, and My Lord said “Rachel, we are done.”
Things slowly started changing. My heart no longer wanted to receive these lavish gifts, almost like now I felt unworthy and I just thought it was too much. So, in my self inflicted bondage, I started resenting the man. I didn’t know what to do. Finally after years of begging and pleading with God to remove the greed I thought I saw, He instead said “Rachel, these are ultimately from Me, not the man” but Lord, I cried all I want is a little kindness and gentleness from the man. That comes from Me too, go to My Word, there I Am. So as God worked out my faith in this area I realize we all tend to want what we don’t have. And I realize that there is bondage in my family by way of receiving gifts. So here with me, God is breaking that chain. He has done a marvelous work. And now, as I have received graciously these gifts the man still continues to Give, I remember every good and perfect gift is from The Lord (and since He gave me Gary, then My Father must know what He is doing). As I walk this out by Faith for years now, God is growing the man to give in new ways, ways that I never thought, without expectation (that’s God’s Way). In every circumstance, God always teaches me to “seek first His Kingdom and then all these other things will be given to you” Matthew 6:33
Everyday as we become willing to surrender to His Will for our lives, we get to bear The Fruit of The Spirit together towards each other – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

Thank you Jesus, In Your Name You will finish the work you have started.