“Give us some money!” the beggar called.
I looked out the window to see who had called and saw three rough, unshaven men standing at our gate. We lived in South America and beggars often came to our gate. They were usually either children or old men, and most of them told us sad stories about their lives and asked if we could give them something to help. But these beggars were different. They shook the gate and one called out again, “Give us some money!”
My husband was not home but I felt sure the gate was locked, so I closed and locked the front door and made sure our three children were inside. A little later I peeped out the front window hoping the beggars had gone away. They had not.
“If you don’t give us money, we’re going to come up to your house,” they shouted.
It still seemed best to ignore these men, so I went on with my work. A little later I looked out the window again and the front gate was empty. Good, I thought, they’re gone. But almost immediately I saw them right at the window! The front gate had been unlocked after all!
“Give us money!” they demanded.
I decided it was time to get help. I ran out the back door and out the back gate and called for my neighbor to come. He went around the house, gave the men some money, and told them to go away and not bother us any more. To my relief the beggars left with their “gift”, and I never saw them again.
The beggars had not worked for the money so it was not pay, and they had done nothing to deserve it so it was not a reward. It was a gift, but it was not a gift of love. It was a gift so that they would go away. God’s gifts are not like that. His gifts are gifts of love, and they are not given so that we would go away, but rather that we would come to Him! The greatest gift that God has ever given was His own beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. God gave His Son to come into this world and die so that you and I could be welcomed into His happy home in heaven. “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:1414And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14)).
Have you accepted God’s wonderful gift of salvation? You do not deserve it because of your sins, but God loves you and is offering you a free salvation because the Lord Jesus paid for it when He died on the cross. “The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:2020I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)).
Another kind of gift arrived at our door recently. This time it was not a gift for beggars but a gift for us. It was a small box of cereal and was marked with large letters — FREE SAMPLE. Was this a gift of love? No, of course not. It was sent in hopes that we would like the cereal and buy a much larger box.
God’s gifts are not like the free sample either. He is not looking for something in return. God wants to give His gifts to you simply because He loves you and wants you to be happy. The Bible says that God “made us accepted in the beloved [the Lord Jesus]: in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ... according to His good pleasure” (Ephesians 1:6,7,96To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:6‑7)
9Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (Ephesians 1:9)).
We gave the beggars a gift so that they would go away, and the cereal company gave us a gift so that we would buy more cereal. But God gave His gift, His only Son, because He loves you. Have you accepted His gift? “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him” (Psalm 34:88O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:8)).