The Greatest Gift

My twelve year old son has been on a competitive soccer team for the past few years. It has been a lot of fun, but if I’m honest, those first couple of years were really tough! The poor team just couldn’t catch a break as we endured two full years without a single win. To make matters worse for my son in particular, his coach had him playing in the wrong position and because he wasn’t any good at it, she benched him most of the time. Every weekend we drove up to two hours away, just to watch the team lose and our son not play.

Despite the losses, the morale on the team endured the first year fairly well. It wasn’t until the second year that they fell apart. The stress of not winning (and often by a fairly large margin) eventually wore the boys down and the team began to disintegrate. We lost a few key players and eventually the head coach even threw in the towel mid-season.

After that devastating experience, most of the team gave up and no longer wanted to play. But a group of about six boys had hope that they could still come together and form a winning team. With a new coach, a new name, and many new players, the team began to work hard. They began at the beginning with a few solid weeks of strength and endurance training before moving on to technique and skill. Many days after practice I picked up an emotional, or physically ill, son. The frustration and tears were never far away. But something began to happen as they worked so hard to improve - they began to win.

You see, when you work really hard at something, you have every right to anticipate success. You earn the gift of winning a game or two after a difficult season of a little blood, sweat and tears. This kind of gift is anticipated and earned because of the work that you put into it, tirelessly checking off the boxes to achieve great reward.

But there is a gift that we don’t have to do anything to earn. There is not an exercise, emotional energy spent, rule or guideline followed well that can buy us the right to anticipate the incredible gift that God has given to us. That gift is salvation and sanctification through Christ Jesus our Lord. Furthermore, we are allowed to anticipate this gift, based solely on what he has done, instead of what we might have to do. This gift is absolutely free, and is yours if you choose to truly believe.

For my son and his team, they have seen the well-earned reward for their hard work and determination. But how much greater a gift is the hope of eternity in heaven with the God of all creation? In our humanity, there is nothing we can do to achieve this greatness. It is impossible, beyond our abilities. Only by the grace of God, by his reaching down and lifting us up, can we obtain a future with him. And if you ask me, that is the most beautiful gift of all time.

Dearest Father, thank you for sending your son to take the payment for my sins. Thank you that I don’t need to do anything in my own strength to earn this incredible gift. I choose, today and every day, to treasure what you have done for me. Amen

Throughout this day: Take time to consider all the ways you might be trying to earn this gift that was meant to be free. Confess those efforts and release them to the Lord. Then walk forward in the freedom of your salvation and never look back.