Have you ever had the experience of receiving something so lavish, so spectacular, that you didn’t quite know how to respond? This happened to me recently when a loved one unexpectedly gave me an incredibly generous gift. While my main emotion upon receiving it was joy and gratitude, I also struggled with guilt and shame. I had to do some soul searching to figure out why.

After all, gifts are, by definition, “undeserved.” They come to us with no strings attached and no expectations for reciprocation. As the dictionary puts it, a gift is “something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation.” Yet, how often, upon receiving a gift, do we start calculating how we can compensate the giver by returning the favor? The game of reciprocation is never ending, of course. It may go on for quite some time. He did this, so I did that, so he did more, and I did the same …

The main culprit at work in all this is PRIDE, but other human frailties, like competition, self-sufficiency, and fierce independence, also play a part. To receive a lavish gift graciously we must be able to put these things aside and humbly receive the gift with gratitude. Period. Only then can we honor the giver and fully enjoy the gift ourselves.  

Christians sometimes struggle with this in their relationship with God. We recognize the immensity of the gift of salvation provided for us by the Lord Jesus Christ. Mentally, we know it’s something we cannot pay Him back for. We could not provide it for ourselves and we’re totally undeserving of it. Yet our pride continues to search for ways to earn or match what we’ve been given. This results in a kind of spiritual striving that robs us of the joy that could be ours if we would just humbly receive the gift offered with thanksgiving.  

The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:17, “God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” This means He wants us TO ENJOY the blessings He provides. To mix the enjoyment with guilt or shame is totally unnecessary!

Being able to receive His gifts graciously requires us to acknowledge our utter dependence upon Him. Is there anything we have in life that hasn’t come from God? Even before we yielded our lives to Him our very existence was a result of His generosity. He created the earth with everything we would need built in. Even the most “self-made” people on earth are dependent upon His gifts—sunlight, rain, seeds, vegetation, parental care, vitality, mental acuity, bodies that can recover from disease and injury, and so much more—whether they realize it or not. Truly, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17).

The only way to dislodge pride in our hearts is to adopt an attitude of humility. Paul asked the church at Corinth, known for their arrogance, “Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Our blind spots can fool us, but God is never fooled. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Psalm 103:14 declares, “He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” He doesn’t expect us to pay Him back in kind. We have no capacity to do that! He doesn’t want us to feel guilty as we seek to live out our new life in Christ. He’s promised to supply what we need; all we have to do is be humble enough to ask for His help. He freely forgives us when we mess up and restores us when we repent.  Like any good father, God rejoices with us in our successes and instructs us in how to do better when we fail. His indwelling Holy Spirit makes all the difference! He’s the best gift of all for those who want to live a godly life that pleases the Lord.

Enjoying the gift of our salvation doesn’t mean we don’t examine our lives. Spiritual maturity requires us to recognize our responsibility to “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,” as it says in Hebrews 12:28. He wants us to fear Him, for that is the beginning of wisdom. He wants us to become more like Jesus by humbly submitting to His Word and letting the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth. Obeying Him in these things isn’t the same as striving to earn His favor or impress Him (or others) with our spiritual accomplishments. Instead, they are the way we graciously receive what He wants to bestow on us, His beloved children. As Jesus assured His disciples in Luke 12:32, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

We should rejoice and give Him praise not only for what He’s given but also for the spirit in which He gives it. I like how Charles Spurgeon expressed this in Morning and Evening: “When He puts the golden tokens of His grace into our palms, He accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of His hand, that the manner of His giving is as precious as the boon itself. He gives liberally and upbraids not. Not one hint that we are burdensome to Him; not one cold look for His poor pensioners; but He rejoices in His mercy and presses us to His bosom while He is pouring out His life for us.” How wonderful to know that along with His gifts, He offers his loving presence as well. What extravagance! What grace!  

Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the lavish gift of salvation. I gratefully receive all you’ve given me through Jesus and invite you to continue the good work you’ve begun in me through your Holy Spirit. Help me to live joyfully so others can see how beautiful it is to be yours. To you be all praise and glory, both now and forever! Amen.