Free Gift

Yesterday, I was the recipient of very generous and gracious help. Four of my brothers/fathers in Christ helped me with my flat tire and ended up buying me a rim, two new tires, and getting my wheels aligned. Of course, I am immensely grateful and I am always filled with joy when I see the Body of Christ working together as a unit to take care of itself. The whole ordeal got me thinking...

I've been teaching my kids about what grace is. It's a free gift. Something you receive that you have not earned in any way. It's a gift of love. So, when I received this tangible grace in my life yesterday, I related it to the grace of God...namely, eternal life (knowing God and His Son, Jesus - John 17:3). When I received the tangible "free gift", I felt two things:

1. I was humbled. That someone would care so much about me not based on anything I had done. That someone would desire to take care of a need that wasn't their own. That someone would be willing to pay such a great cost on my behalf.

2. I felt a responsibility and desire to take care of that "free gift" more so than if I had bought it myself or earned it. The gift became "mine" when it was given, but in a sense, it is not really "mine". It's in my possession, and I have the responsibility to care for it, but I have a desire to care for it and use it in a way that would make the givers feel that their gift was not in vain.

I don't know if it is proper to take these feelings and directly relate them to the gift of eternal life, but I do know that I don't feel often enough the humility that I should feel when I consider the amazing free gift that has been given me by my Father through His Son. And I know that I don't work out my salvation with fear and trembling and view it as a stewardship as much as I should. Sometimes, I practically live like this salvation is totally mine...it was good to be reminded that it is not.

May I walk in humility and be responsible with the greatest, most valuable gift anyone could ever receive.