The First Time I Heard About Grace Gifts, I Rolled My Eyes
The first time I heard about grace gifts, I rolled my eyes. Here is why and the lessons you can learn from my hubris...
First lets' clarify, what a grace gift is?
A grace gift is something given by God because of his love and favor for us (grace)
WITH NO REGARD FOR
what we have or have not done to earn it.
We aren't entitled to these gifts even when we have been good leaders. In addition, we still receive these gifts even when we make mistakes as leaders. Some of the most common forms of grace gifts are...
Salvation
Intimacy with God
Business success/ministry results
Spiritual growth
Marriage
Children
Friends
Mentors etc.
Literally so many. God gives us these despite our earning of them. They come from grace combined with God's unconditional love. God doesn't love us for what we do for Him. He loves us because we are His children. Grace gifts are blessings that God gives us because of this love. In His sovereignty, he chooses to bless and to not bless at times.
The first time I heard this, my heart immediately objected.
I thought, "You see the problem with this logic is if you work hard, God honors that and gives you what you deserve." My identity, wrapped up in my work ethic, was rebelling against the truth. I had a long-standing narrative in my heart that effort and work ethic were the chief virtue. I may not be the most talented, but I can work the hardest. The problem is that also sowed seeds of entitlement. If I worked hard, I deserved certain outcomes. Or so I thought.
My heart really just wanted to be deserving. To be worthwhile. The outcomes would prove I am significant. My identity coping mechanism had always been able to work hard and make things happen. Those results, that I made happen, were what I deserved.
This lie conveniently left out all the consequences that I deserved and didn't get.
It also ignored all the things I got that I didn't work hard enough for, which were plenty.
I needed 2 things to happen...
God's love and grace to re-wash over my heart and remind me that He loved me. I needed to re-anchor my identity in this truth.
I needed to learn about what good stewardship was.
Good Stewardship
Good stewardship gets grace gifts and the role of human effort. It understands what is in man’s control and what is in God's. Good stewardship cultivates depth with God, in relationships and seeks the Lord for wisdom and planning. It is motivated by intimacy and connection AND trusts God for the results.
The truth is...
God has a role for us. That role is for us to seek Him and rely on Him to show us how to be faithful stewards.
God has a role. He gives grace gifts to us based on a combo of his grace, love, and sovereignty.
Good stewardship cultivates intimacy, and trust God with results. They are grace gifts.
Now that I understand this, my heart is able to rest, enjoy and see the richness of God even more. And appreciate all that God blesses with.
In Summary…
I once rolled my eyes at the idea of grace gifts.
I was blind to my entitlement.
I got identity wrapped up in hard work.
I needed to understand stewardship.
I needed to rest in God's grace gifts.
My hope is that you can walk deeply with God, and steward your gifts and abilities well. Here are some other ways that can hopefully help that become a reality for you…
How to Journal to connect with God https://twitter.com/benjaminbseiler/status/1483852253526392833?s=21
Playing the Long Game https://twitter.com/benjaminbseiler/status/1488210146081705986?s=21
Distractions Based on Identity https://twitter.com/benjaminbseiler/status/1488210146081705986?s=21
