Appreciating God’s Gifts: Embracing Our Spiritual Inheritance
Summary
- Saint Paul’s Analogy of Heirship
- The Nature of Our Inheritance
- Responding with Subordination and Appreciation
- Overcoming the Illusion of Entitlement
- Returning God’s Gifts with Humility
Saint Paul’s Analogy of Heirship
Saint Paul is making an analogy by talking about when a child is an heir. He is also still effectively a servant. He still has to show respect and obedience to his tutors, to his instructors, to his governors, to those around him who are given authority over him to bring him to his station of being the heir, wherever he is. He points out that we are co-chairs with Christ and so therefore, as Christ is the one who inherits, shall we say, the kingdom of His Father. We also are supposed to inherit that kingdom.
The Nature of Our Inheritance
But there, in order for us to inherit that, we have to go through the process of being subject to those governors and teachers and the like. We are still as yet children. We are not supposed to be. We are not supposed to be on the same level as Christ. Because we are not. Anything that we have, the very fact that we are heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven comes from God Himself, comes from Christ. It does not come from us. It is not because of us. It has nothing to do with us. It is only because God is good and God is generous, and only because God wants us to have this inheritance that we are able to have it.
Responding with Subordination and Appreciation
So therefore, how should we? How should we respond? Well, the first step is subordination, if we want to appreciate. The tremendous good that God has given us. If we want to appreciate or want to express our appreciation of all the good that God has given us. This is how we respond. We do not waste the grace. Thankless, Lee. We do not simply discard it. We do not put it aside. We do not just take it for granted. We appreciate it.
Overcoming the Illusion of Entitlement
We use it appropriately as good stewards, as dutiful children should, learning from the lessons of their parents or their teachers and their governors and everybody else. We need to take full advantage of what it is we are given. We do not have the luxury of being able to waste the gifts of God. And we do not have the luxury of being able to disregard the generosity of God. We are called upon to a station that is not our own.
One of the reasons that we have so much conflict in the world today, and especially even just within the church itself, among the ones who have received the faith, is specifically that we are so focused on what is our right to have that we do not appreciate the fact that we don't have the right to anything. There is not a thing that is ours by our own right, except our sins. Arsons are the only thing that, strictly speaking, are ours. And even the ability to sin and the power and faculties a sin comes from God.
Returning God’s Gifts with Humility
We does not come to us. It does not come from us. So now we need to start putting things back in perspective. We may have good things. We may have a sense of the spiritual. We may have so many blessings in our lives, but this all comes from God. We may be able to pray where so many are not able to pray. We may have good health, poor health. We may have this mass, or we may have family stuck in the new mass. We may have people who have lost the faith. We may have the faith.
Anything that we have is a gift from God, not our rights. And so therefore, we cannot stand upon that right. We cannot pretend as though this is something that is mine. It is not. It is Christ's. He gave it to us because he loves us. He would like to share it with others. And maybe our humility and accepting this will help others appreciate the gifts that we have received.
And maybe that will help us be his instruments of his word here on this earth. If we just had a little bit more humility, a little bit more meekness, generosity, kindness, because we appreciate the gift that God has given us. The more that we appreciate this, the more we can give back, because that is the ultimate question. What is it I can give back for all that God has given to me? Nothing less than everything. Because that is what we owe him. So therefore, that is what we have to do.
But in order for that to happen, we have to appreciate what it is He gives us, as a child should be appreciative of what their parents give them. We need to appreciate the fact that we're not the center of the universe. Christ is just as a child has to learn. They're not the center of the universe. We have to learn that we are supposed to be faithful subjects of the Kingdom of God, not the rulers of it. We have to appreciate the fact that the only thing that we have from God is goodness. The only thing that comes from us is sin. We have to appreciate that without him, we can do nothing and we can be nothing.
Or with him, we can be all things, even co-heirs to heaven itself. And that is our hope because that is what he wants for us. And that is what his love drives him to give us or to offer to us. And if we just respond with the humility and appreciation of what it is He wants to give us, then we will be eternally happy with Him in heaven.
Summary
This reflection explores the profound truth that everything we possess—our faith, blessings, and even our ability to love—comes from God as a generous gift, not as something we inherently deserve. Drawing from Saint Paul's analogy, it emphasizes our role as children of God, called to humility, gratitude, and obedience in accepting and using these divine gifts. The reflection challenges the modern mindset of entitlement, reminding us that the only thing truly our own is our sin. By recognizing our dependence on God’s grace, we can respond with humility, faithfully stewarding the blessings He has entrusted to us.
Furthermore, the text calls us to shift our perspective from self-centered pride to a spirit of loving service and gratitude. It underscores the importance of using God’s gifts for His glory, rather than claiming them as personal achievements. Through humility, meekness, and a deeper appreciation of God’s generosity, we can become instruments of His love on Earth, fulfilling our purpose in His divine plan. Ultimately, the reflection invites us to ask: What can I give back to God for all He has given me? The answer is clear—nothing less than everything.