How readily do you accept gifts from others?

A post yesterday on the Christian PF blog got me thinking about a fairly common practice. Let me ask you this: When someone offers to do something nice for you or to give you something, what’s your first response? If you’re out to dinner with a friend, and she picks up the check, do you argue about it or do you accept her generosity? What would you do if you were sick, and you heard a neighbor mowing your lawn? You’d probably offer to pay him for the trouble, which is fine, but what if he refused? Do you insist (and keep on insisting) that he accept payment, or do you thank him for his gracious gift of kindness?

I think many, if not most, of us react in those situations with feelings of shame or embarrasment — “I should be doing things like this more often.” Some of us react with the attitude of “You don’t have to do that.” And you know what? Those feelings are exactly right. As Christians, we should be known for our acts of kindness. Of course your friend didn’t have to mow your lawn. That’s why it’s called a gift. Gifts, by definition, are things we don’t deserve.

My contention is that if we have trouble accepting gifts and kind deeds from our friends & neighbors, we have the same difficulty accepting these things from our Heavenly Father. Indeed, salvation itself is a gift; Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that. So often though, we quote those 2 verses and leave out verse 10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Consider this:

  • We are created to do good works. (Ephesians 2:10)
  • We glorify our Father when we do so. (Matthew 5:16)
  • Thus, when you fail to accept a gracious gift from someone, you prevent him or her from fulfilling the purpose for which we were all created! You prevent others from glorifying God.

What do you think?

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Posted on May 20th, 2009 by Bob Mathews
Filed under: Humility, Obedience, Society, Stewardship

2 Responses to “How readily do you accept gifts from others?”

  1. ChristianPF, on May 20th, 2009 at 9:56 am Said:

    You know one of the things I noticed from receiving the gift was that it actually can be a humbling experience to receive it properly. We live in a society that is so caught up on what’s “fair” that many of us don’t know how to receive a blessing when it comes to us. Personally, when I look at everything I have because of Jesus it definitely isn’t fair at all – it’s completely UNFAIR, but it still is a gift that He chose to give me – so I’d better receive it.

  2. Bob Mathews, on May 20th, 2009 at 10:04 am Said:

    Excellent points, Bob; thanks. As you point out, learning how to grow from humbling experiences is something else that takes practice.

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