A Message from Chuck: The Insult of Trying to Pay for a Gift
Imagine you’ve been invited to a dear friend’s home for a magnificent, multi-course dinner. The company is warm, the food is exquisite, and the evening is one you’ll never forget. As you’re heading for the door, you reach into your pocket, pull out a twenty-dollar bill, and try to hand it to your host to “cover your share.” What happens to the atmosphere in that room? It turns cold instantly, doesn’t it? Why? Because by trying to pay for the meal, you’ve turned a beautiful expression of friendship into a cold business transaction. You’ve insulted the giver by suggesting their gift had a price tag.
In this video, we are looking at the spiritual side of that awkward moment: Can I Pay You for That?
When it comes to the grace of God, our natural, prideful impulse is to reach for our wallets. We want to do enough, say enough, or give enough to feel like we’ve “earned” our seat at the table. But friend, you can’t pay for grace. If you could, it wouldn’t be grace anymore. We’ll explore:
- The Pride of the “Pay-Back” Mentalty: Why our desire to earn God’s favor is actually a form of subtle pride that diminishes the work of Christ.
- The Sufficiency of the Sacrifice: Understanding that the price for your soul has already been paid in full—and any attempt to add to it is an insult to the Cross.
- Learning to Be a Gracious Receiver: Why the hardest part of the Christian life isn’t “doing,” but simply opening our hands and saying “thank you.”
God doesn’t want your payment; He wants your heart. Let’s learn how to stop trying to settle the debt and start living in the freedom of a gift that is already yours.
