Gifts to God

Those who believe that their good works are something that merit them favor with God need to have children. If they think that their good works are performed apart from God's gracious hand then they need to ponder a little more on what grace really is.

When my young children make "Dad" a picture they are doing it "as a gift", and this pleases Dad.
But little do they realize that Dad's money provided the paper, the crayons and felts. Without Dad's intervention the children would have no food or drink. So we see that the children truly do offer a gift, but it is a gift that can be only offered because another is enabling them to do so.

The Scriptures teach us that in God we live and move and have our being. God sustains us, He is our life and every blessing we have comes from Him. Everything we offer to God as a gift can only be offered because God has graciously given first to us. This is grace. Every good work ever performed is a by-product of God's grace, and is therefore not something that earns or merits God's favor.