Imagine you have a wonderful grandfather. One Christmas, out of the blue for no reason at all he gives you and all of our cousins an amazing gift: a once in a lifetime trip around the world. He’s paid all the expenses, made all the arrangements, and even touched base with your bosses and negotiated paid vacations for all of you. To accept the gift you only need to show up at the airport the next day with your bags packed.
You are ecstatic! You race home and pack your bags, amazed at the generosity of this wonderful gift. The next morning, you show up at the airport. You see your grandfather and most of your cousins, but one of them is missing. It’s Greg. Your grandfather calls him, but he doesn’t pick up. He does everything he can to reach Greg, but he doesn’t respond. You run out of time. You have a plane to catch after all!
What Happened to Greg?
The trip is amazing! Your grandfather has gone all out and gotten you VIP access to all kinds of attractions and events. You have first-class everything. You and your family are having an amazing time.
Three days in, your cousin Greg calls. He’s angry at your grandfather. “How could he be so cruel as to leave me behind?” he rails. “But Greg,” you respond, “you were given the same gift as everyone else. You simply choose not to accept it by coming.”
Was the grandfather in this story cruel? No. The grandfather was the very opposite of cruel. He gave his grandchildren a wonderful gift, something they neither earned or deserved. He was as gracious as he could be. However, he wouldn’t force anyone to accept his gift.
God Is Like The Grandfather
The book of John tells us that God does the same for us. John 3:16 is maybe the most famous Bible verse of all time, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” This verse could be the thesis statement of the book of John. God loves us all so much that he was willing to give up his own Son for us.
God gives us an amazing gift in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus creates a new way for us to relate to God. His death pays the penalty for our sin. His resurrection demonstrates God’s power and ultimate victory over sin and death.
Just like any other true gift, Jesus is given freely. We don’t do anything to earn this gift. It’s ours for the taking. It’s not something we earn. It’s not something we deserve. It’s simply something we accept from a gracious God who loves us.
We Are Greg
But like Greg, we have a choice. John 3:18 and 3:36 offer the same message: those who receive Jesus as the gift from God that he is, trusting him and his word, will receive all the goodness and life that God offers humanity through his Son. Those who reject the gift, reject all of the goodness and life God wants for them. In doing so, they condemn themselves to an existence that lacks goodness or abundant life.
We can accept the gift or not because God also gives us freedom. God offers himself to us, but he doesn’t force us to love or trust him. Instead, he demonstrates his love and trustworthiness in the person of Jesus. He then stands there with his arms open to us, inviting us to come, but never coercing us. It’s left to us. We can run to Jesus or we can choose to keep our distance.
The great thing about God and his grace is that he is constantly offering the gift of his Son to us. If we don’t accept it today, he will still be there tomorrow with the same offer. As long as we have breath in our bodies, the offer still stands. His arms are open wide, waiting for the day when we will run into them.
What does this mean?
What does this mean for us and our everyday lives? How can we put this Scripture into action? Here are a few suggestions:
Take some time to soak in how much God loves you.
Read 1 John 4:9-18. Read the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Recognize that Jesus did everything he did because he loves you and sees all of you. He knows your flaws and the skeletons in your closet. Despite that, he loves you. He gave his life for you. He pursues you! God wants to be with you. If you could really take in this truth, it would utterly change your life. Just spend a little time trying to let that truth soak into your soul.
Stop Trying and Just Accept the Gift.
God is gracious. The things that he gives us are meant to be gifts, plain and simple. There’s nothing else we need to do. Brennan Manning has a quote that sums this up well:
“The child doesn’t have to struggle to get himself in a good position for having a relationship with God; he doesn’t have to craft ingenious ways of explaining his position to Jesus; he doesn’t have to create a pretty face for himself; he doesn’t have to achieve any state of spiritual feeling or intellectual understanding. All he has to do is happily accept the cookies: the gift of the kingdom.”
God’s good gifts are not dependent on your behavior. They are not based on your productivity. So stop trying so hard and just accept the cookies.
Recognize the Freedom of Others.
God doesn’t force people to love or accept him. He continually offers the invitation, but he never drags anyone to the party. He asks us to do the same. In your interactions with your non-Christian friends and family members, respect their process and support them in it. You can’t manipulate or coerce someone into love anyway. Talk to them about God. Look for ways to serve them. Pray for them. Pray that the Holy Spirit would allow you to see the person through God’s eyes. Don’t try to force them into anything. Recognize that timing is up to God. Your job is to invite and display Jesus’ light in your life. It’s up to them to walk towards it.
Don’t Give Up on Others.
God never gives up on us. No matter how many times we’ve rejected him in the past, he is always waiting there with open arms, ready to welcome us home. We should have the same attitude towards those around us. While we may not always be able to safely welcome others back in our lives who have harmed us, we can always choose to see them as God does. We shouldn’t write people off, no matter what they’ve done. God can always redeem someone, no matter how far gone they are.
The graceful gift of salvation is the gift of a lifetime. May we never quit accepting that gift and may we help others to do the same.
Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash