A Season of Gracious Giving

As a conservative I do not feel warmth towards the term entitlement.  Feeling like you deserve certain privileges,  often with out doing anything to earn them.  I'm a hard working Mid-Westerner who will just do it myself, by golly!  I don't need someone giving me anything, I'll work hard and earn my own reward.  In fact, I'll just reward myself when I'm done!  

But does this attitude inhibit my ability to receive good gifts from God and others?  If it isn't okay to receive a gift without earning it then how will I ever receive salvation from Jesus?  There will NEVER be anything I can do that will earn that one.  

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

The fact is, God wants to lavish great gifts on us and rewards us.  He wants us to ask. 

 Christmas is coming soon.  Our kids are excitedly making lists full of gifts.  As a parent, its hard to decide what to get them when they have so many dreams and desires.  I would LOVE to bless them with every one of them.  I can tell you, my kids don't really deserve it.  Sure, they are great kids, but boy do they argue with each other.  But there is nothing they could do to get me to not buy them Christmas presents.  

But what if they didn't write anything on that list?  How would I know what to get them?  It wouldn't be any fun for me to shop, and there would be very little anticipation for them or me.  No dreams and nothing to look forward to on either end.  Half the fun for me is anticipating the look on their face when they open their presents.

Matthew 7:11

¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

If I can give good gifts to my kids without making them earn it, can I do that for others too?  God doesn't love me because I earn it, He doesn't give only when I deserve it.  Then neither should I.  I shouldn't make others earn my love, or my gift.  

This is a little painful to me as I watch our country spin without a foreseeable parachute.  There are so many out there that don't seem to deserve my help.  But   God did not make me judge.  He has called us to be gracious givers.  Givers with unmerited favor, marked by kindness.  Think of it also when someone wants to bless you.  You don't have to earn it, deserve it, or even like it.  Just take it, because its a blessing to the giver as well as the receiver