God's Gifts are Free - No They're Not

To start off with a side note: It is a wonderful thing to be continually reminding each other what the LORD has done - and this gift should be given especially to our children.  We should be telling our children how He has saved us and blessed us (not with riches but with Christ and a love for Him).  He has delivered us from the pit.  He has made me a "new creation".  He has brought me to life.  He has "given me a heart to fear Him". What a wonderful God we love.

Okay, now to the topic at hand.  I was reading in Joshua today.  Verse 24:3 says, "Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many.  I gave him Isaac."  (by the way - read the above passage and see where I got the "side note".)  The phrase I would like to focus on is "I gave him Isaac."  If we just sit back and think about it we will see something very beautiful - something so particular to Deity.  There is so much here. As I have been thinking about it, things come to mind like..."unto us a child is born, a son IS GIVEN." and "we are children of promise according to Isaac."  What a wonderful GIFT to Abraham - what a wonderful GIFT to us!!!  And that gift - its free.  No its not.

The "freeness" of God's gifts are what makes them truly divine.  Again, He boasts in that He creates and that He brings something out of nothing.  Through Him all things were created - and all good things come from Him.  See my recent post "God's promises vs. 401K".  In a world with many gods it is hard for us to see Christ as holy or "set apart".  In a county where industry and wealth is common it is hard to feel the thanksgiving that we ought to give the Giver.  Instead we say - "boy did I work hard last month for that..."  It is unfortunate that for most of us to see God clearly, God must act distinctly - and by so doing He reveals Himself as "God of the impossible".  Okay, where am I going???  Let's put ourselves in Abraham's shoes.

I'm an old man...getting older and older.  Sarah over there is getting older too.  My sex drive isn't what it used to be if you know what I mean and Sarah went through menopause about 50 years ago.  Oh yeah, and by the way, I love God - He said, or should I say, "promised" me around 20 years ago that He would give me son. And through him all nations would be blessed.  Funny huh?? Yeah Sarah laughed too (Gen. 17:17)  Years ago I did "what I could do" to get that son out.  Sarah wasn't going to give him to me so I had to go elsewhere.  See ole Ishmael over there.  Man I wish he could be the one.  We're old now...too old.  And no son but Ishmael.  I've done what I can.  Obviously it wasn't good enough.  If that girl Sarah is to have a baby now, it'll have to be a miracle. 

Now this is the setting.  Hopeless.  No chance of a child.  None.  Nada.  AND THEN GOD!!!! "visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as He had promised.  And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son...(Gen. 21).  Can you imagine the surprise!??  Can you imagine the praise!!  This was not the fruit of sex.  This was not the natural thing that happens when a man and woman get together.  This was not a result of NFP!  Abraham tried to produce and got an F+.  This child was GIVEN FREELY!!!  OH how this needs to impress our souls.  Now meditate on the wonderful truth that we are "children of promise" not according to Ishmael BUT ISAAC!  Think about it - the implications are earth shattering!

Salvation is FREE, Grace is free, the child was given freely and so are all of His wonderful gifts - they are free.  No they're not.  You say, "What!"  Think about it - and comment....I will explain later.........   

Comments

[Scott M]

So, what's the word? God's gifts are free...No they are not! What! What does that mean??? Well...lets think of an example.

Think about working your whole life and putting every spare dime into a savings account. You never went out to eat, never went on vacation, never did the "expensive stuff". You worked from sun up to sun down every day - not a single day off. Did you retire...nope! Then you died and left everything to your child. The inheritance to him is free - but to you...very costly...