8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

Ephesians 2:8

Grace is the gift of God. The New Living Translation of this verse reads thus: “God saved you by his special favour when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” You can’t look back and in any way, take credit for your salvation or for any of the workings of God’s grace in your life. It is the gift of God.

A gift is something unsolicited for. It is something given at the instance and the initiative of the giver. If I come to you and give a veiled or direct hint as to my need, and you meet it, should it be called a gift? Not really. Something is really a gift when it is not solicited for or one is not coerced or manipulated into giving it. Grace has been given to you purely at the instance and the initiative of God.

A gift is truly a gift when you don’t pay for it in anyway. I heard a story of a couple that was getting married and the lady’s aunty who makes wedding dresses offered to make her wedding dress for her. So this lady shared this as a testimony with me believing she had received a gift. Some weeks after the wedding, she got a bill. The aunty asked her to pay. That wasn’t a gift. Again, I know of a best man who said to a groom, “God forbid that you should wed in this cheap fabric; let me take you to a place where they sell original fabrics.” So the groom went with him. They collected the fabric; the tailor measured them both and made the suits. Guess who got the bill? The groom! That wasn’t a gift.

The grace of God is the gift of God, which you didn’t pay for in anyway. That is why you can’t take credit for it. The Creator of the universe gave me a gift of grace when Jesus rose from the dead. He began to pour Himself: His riches, abundance, and abilities into me until I got filled up, and I didn’t pay for it!

Confession:

Father, thank You for Your grace is given to me purely at Your initiative. Thank You because You are not like men who sometimes ask to pay for a gift. Thank You for pouring Yourself into me.