No Strings Attached

"Ma'am, can I help you out with this?"

"No...I can get it.  Thanks."

Why is this always uncomfortable to me?  As I was walking out to the car, I was pondering this.  It is just awkward to accept "no strings attached" gifts from others.  Dillons' policy says that they cannot accept even tips for helping.  There is absolutely no incentive for them to be helpful, but it's part of their job and they always dutifully ask.

And I always decline. On the few occasions that I have accepted, I felt guilty.

After all, I'm perfectly capable.  There are others who may need help...but not me.

Hmmm...

After loading up the groceries, I headed home.  On the way I found myself thinking, "Now if the kids have surprised me by cleaning the house while I've been gone, THAT would be a gift I could accept!"

Why is that?

Well, they owe me.

Wow...I sound like a great parent.  But you know what I mean. I do things for them all the time--make their meals, wash their laundry, help them with homework, etc.  It would've been a great surprise, but it most certainly would not have been a gift that I was uncomfortable to accept.

No worries...it didn't happen.

But now I was pondering both situations.  What was the difference?

It's simple.  I feel the need to earn my gifts.  With my own kids, I earned the (much wished for) surprise of a clean house but I didn't earn the favors of a grocery-toting kid.

I think the same is true of the free gift of grace we receive from God.

Many simply don't accept it, because they didn't earn it and they don't want to "owe" God.  It just can't be the truth. No other "gods" give away salvation without expecting something in return.

Jesus, however, paid the full-price for my salvation...and yours.  It's free.  Take it!

I need to focus on simply being grateful for this gift...humbly accepting and cherishing it.  Stop with the guilt!  My energies would be better spent helping others see the beauty of this free gift that they, too, can receive.

No strings attached.

American Idols

Worship [wur-ship] verb: to feel an adoring reverence or regard.

Idol [ahyd-l] noun:  any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.

The first warning by God toward the human desire to worship was written on the tablets brought down from Mount Sanai by Moses.  The very first commandment written with God's own "finger" is:

 ³ “You shall have no other gods before me.
 ⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.  (Exodus 20:3-6)


We all have a desire to worship.  It's an instinct that was built-in to our design by our Creator.  What we worship, however, is a choice that we make with our free will.

Will I worship the Creator?  Or will I worship the created?

It seems like an obvious choice!  Who would struggle with this one?  I have no interest in making a golden calf and asking it for blessings!  That just seems ridiculous.  We look at the Israelites who waited impatiently at the bottom of the mountain for Moses to return and just shake our heads at their stupidity.  (Exodus 32) As if we are any better.

When I consider in my own life that things that I worship, I ask myself these questions.  After my physical needs are met:

1. To what do I give my time?
2. To what do I give my energy?
3. For what would I risk my health?
4. To what do I give my money?
5. What could I not live without?

Ask yourself these questions.  It may reveal your false gods to you.

Idols come in many forms with some being more obvious than others.  It's not likely that you have a little statue in your home that you worship, but you very likely have one in your heart.

How about...

Your home.  How important is that house you live in?  Is this where you extra money goes?  Do you spend your extra time decorating and cleaning?

Your bank account.  If your account was wiped out tomorrow, would you be suicidal?  Find yourself working long hours to make your bottom line grow?  Do your kids see you as much as your co-workers do?

Food.  When you need consolation, do you turn to food rather than God?  How about when you are celebrating?  Is extra money spent on buying soft drinks, expensive coffees, and eating out?

Your children.  Are you teaching your kids that they are more important than anything else...including God.  Do you make sacrifices to assure that all their wants are met?  Is your time spent running from one kid activity to another?  Do they feel that the world revolves around them?

Technology.  Drugs.  Your looks, favorite NFL/collegiate/NBA/NHL...etc team, spouse (or boyfriend/girlfriend), pets, bands, college degrees...

The list goes on and on.

In reality, this is one of the biggest issues that we, as Christians, face in our daily lives.  I wish the issue was as simple as avoiding little statues.