Gifts are Never Free
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Gifts suggest a claim, they are never given in a vacuum.
Charity can be given no-strings-attached. Winning the lottery brings no claim on you—except taxes! The unexpected refund, windfall, or found treasure brings a moment of happiness but then you move on with your life. A thank you note is not required.
But a gift…that’s different.
Gifts come with a claim—a claim to friendship and kinship. A claim to mutual camaraderie and loyalty. Gifts come with expectations. Gifts say that what is between us matters.
Gifts can be golden, but nevertheless they handcuff us to the giver, for a gift says that in some way “You are mine and I am yours.” And that comes with obligations and responsibilities.
That’s why we are often so hesitant to receive gifts. That’s why we want so desperately to give the giver a gift too. That’s why we even try to give a better gift than the one we received.
The ONE THING for today: Because we instinctively know that while a gift is never earned, a gift is never free.
There are two spiritual issues that I had on my mind as I wrote these words – Sabbath and Salvation.
Could it be that the reason we struggle so with Sabbath–choosing rather to have “days off”–is that to embrace God’s gift of Sabbath is to say God has a claim on our time.
And could it be that the reason so few people truly embrace the gift of salvation through grace alone is that we struggle with God’s claim over our lives.
