It's a Gift

At Christmas time we have the traditional exchanging of gifts.  People give us gifts and we in turn give them one with a value that is about the same.  Some groups put rules on gift giving at the holidays in the name of dollar limits or exchanging names.  Everyone who brought a gift can participate in the gift exchange.  In these situations, we are giving as much as we get.  We say thank you, but come on, they got something nice too.

But sometimes it happens.  You get that gift and you didn't know it was coming and you have nothing to give back.  Or maybe you are given a gift that is significantly more extravagant than one that you can give.  We aren't very good at accepting gifts in this way.  We feel beholden and uneasy. Most of us would rather not get a gift n this way.  

They say that it's the thought that counts.  And it sure is.  I think the problem with getting a gift when you have nothing to give back is the realization that this person thinks of me differently than I think of them.

Our salvation is like this.  It's a gift.  It's that simple.  There is nothing to earn.  You can't reciprocate with something equivalent.  God gives the gift.  We accept it and say thank you.  And the amazing thing is that because it is like this, we can't boast.  We can't think of ourselves as being superior because we didn't do anything to earn it in the first place. And when we realize the enormity of the gift, we are faced with the enormity of God's love.  We have to conclude that he loves us more than we are capable of loving Him or anyone else,

It's like being prideful when you are driving someone else's car or taking credit for someone else's score.  It is a gift so that none may boast.