The first lesson of every true gift is grace—it cannot be earned, deserved, or purchased. A gift that must be worked for is wages, not a gift. A gift that requires payment is a transaction, not generosity. True gifts come freely, often to those who least deserve them, and that is precisely what makes them so powerful. They shatter our pride by reminding us that we are not self-sufficient. They humble us by showing that someone else saw our need and chose to meet it without asking for anything in return.

Abraham understood this truth deeply. God called him when he was still living in pagan Ur, worshiping idols alongside his family. Abraham had done nothing to deserve God's attention, nothing to earn His favor. Yet God appeared to him and said, "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee" (Genesis 12:2). The promise was unconditional—not "if you obey, then I will bless," but simply "I will bless." Abraham received the covenant as a gift of pure grace. Though he stumbled many times—lying about Sarah, doubting God's promise, taking matters into his own hands with Hagar—God's gift remained. The promise was grounded not in Abraham's faithfulness but in God's unchanging character. Years later, when Isaac was finally born, Abraham named him "laughter" because the gift was so unexpected, so undeserved, so overwhelmingly joyful that laughter was the only response.

Prayer: Gracious God, forgive us for thinking we can earn Your favor. Teach us to receive with humble hearts, knowing that every blessing comes from Your grace alone. Help us to laugh with joy like Abraham at gifts we never deserved. Amen.