now that i have a job, whenever i eat out with those that are younger than me, i offer to pay for the meal. this results in 1 of 3 responses: 1) a refuse of my offer and a consequent fight over the bill, 2) abuse of my offer by ordering the most expensive entree(s), or 3) accepting the offer with joy. the first response, a back-and-forth fight over the check, is most frequent. maybe it’s an asian thing…i can’t even count how many times i’ve said, “hey man, it’s on me" only to be followed by “NOOOO let me pay for it." this attitude of refusing grace seems embedded in our psyche, because it seems perfectly right to pay for a meal that you’ve eaten. although there is nothing per se wrong with this, i do believe that this mentality has negatively affected how we choose to approach the cross. because we haven’t been trained to accept gifts our entire life, this affects our ability to fully embrace the grace of God. in one extreme, there may be a sense of pride that devours the heart when approaching the cross, a legalistic declaration of “i can do this myself, i need to earn the favor of God, i am my own Savior." this attitude is reflective of the older son in the parable of the prodigal son (luke 15). on the flip side of things, sometimes the refusal of my offer is a result of false humility: the recipient believes that they are undeserving of my offer, because they have done nothing to receive a free meal. i believe this is also reflective of how some approach the cross: "i’m completely unworthy of the cross because of how sinful and broken i am." in either case, there is an unwillingness to accept gifts, and a consequent refusal of the grace given to them. the second response is less frequent, but trust - it has happened before. i once ate at a restaurant, and knowing that i would pay for the meal, my buddy ordered 3 dishes, GG. i honored my word by paying for it, but my wallet took a toll and i never ate out with him again LOL. i parallel this scenario to the prospect of abusing grace - just cause we have the grace of God and will receive His forgiveness time and time again, it doesn’t mean we abuse it by doing whatever the hell we want. just because we have the cross and complete forgiveness of sins past, present, and future, this doesn’t mean we can remain in lives of sin. this attitude is reflective of the younger son in the parable - recklessly squandering his inheritance on wild living. there must be an understanding that we were bought at a price - the hefty price of the Father’s only Son - so we must live like it. it is for freedom that Christ has set us free - freedom to worship and to serve Him, not freedom to binge on the desires of the flesh. the third response - accepting my offer with joy - occurs rarely, but when it does, it gives me so much joy! i wondering if this is reflective of the joy the Father has when he sees one accept the gift of His Son. it’s a desire in my heart to spend time with youngin’s before i leave for college, and it’s truly blessing to treat them :). i feel as if people who joyfully allow me to pay have a very good understanding of grace - they do not succumb to the pitfalls of refusing or abusing my offer. they know my heart and they simply just accept the offer given to them! the unmerited favor of God is a gift that we don’t deserve; we must understand this, but in turn, we must have a greater understanding of the Father’s love for us (that He would come so humbly to redeem us in the midst of our unworthiness!). the beauty of the gospel is this: that i don’t deserve anything, but that i am graciously given a gift beyond all imagination, a gift of ultimate sacrifice: jesus and the cross! how can we not accept this with joy?
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