No Bargaining Necessary

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)

There was a little boy at Christmas time trying to figure out how he could get a little red wagon. His friends were writing letters to Santa Claus, so he thought, "I'll do something even better. I’m going to write a letter to Jesus."

He wrote: "Dear Jesus, if you give me this little red wagon, I promise I will not fight with my brother all year long." After thinking it over, he realized, "That's a promise I can't keep. I know I will end up fighting." So he scratched that out and thought some more. Then he wrote, "Dear Jesus, if you give me this little red wagon, I promise I will eat all my vegetables all year long." But then he remembered the broccoli, the spinach, and all those other vegetables, and he thought, "I just can’t keep that promise, either."

Feeling desperate, he looked for inspiration. He noticed the nativity scene downstairs and had a brilliant idea. He ran downstairs, found Mary, and tucked her into his sock. Then he went back upstairs and wrote, "Dear Jesus, if you ever want to see your mother again..."

This humorous story illustrates our futile human attempts to bargain with God. The boy represents every person who thinks they can earn God's favor through promises of good behavior or even threats.

God's grace is based on His character, not our performance. Salvation and blessing don't come because we've earned them or because we've made convincing promises. They come because God is gracious. The word "grace" means unmerited favor - getting what we don't deserve because of God's love, not because of our worthiness.

Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear: salvation is "not of works, lest anyone should boast." There's nothing we can add to what Christ has already done.

Reflection Question: What promises or bargains have you tried to make with God, and how can you instead rest in His unmerited grace?

Dear God, please forgive me for doubting Your grace and thinking it wasn’t enough. Help me understand that Your blessings flow from Your character, not my performance. Thank You that I don't have to earn Your love or maintain it through making promises. Teach me to rest in Your unmerited favor and to trust in Your goodness. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "The Riches of Redemption" (Ephesians 1:7-12): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/z6qj3xh/4-the-riches-of-redemption-eph-1-7-12