A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men — Proverbs 18:16 (WEB).

How important is it to give a gift? Well, judging by this one scripture in Proverbs, it can be extremely important.

I’m old enough to recall a time when it was commonplace for people to give gifts at Christmastime to people who were helpful to them throughout the year. Back then it was expected that you would tip the mailman, butcher, delivery boy, doorman and anyone else in a service position. Those tips usually helped to compensate for a modest salary, providing a nice year end gift to see the person through the holiday season.

But, it was also considered by many to be a “bribe” of sorts to curry favor with the recipient. If you wanted the doorman to hail a taxi for you in a driving rain or have the newspaper boy leave your news in a dry place, then you’d compensate them accordingly, otherwise you’d risk being ignored for the ensuing twelve month period!

Jacob was someone who was wise to the importance of not only giving a gift but a very big one at that. In his case his powerful brother Esau was the recipient although Jacob’s motive for blessing him was purely a matter of self preservation.

You see, the last time that they saw each other Jacob tricked their father, Isaac, into blessing him instead of Esau (Genesis 27:27-29). Jacob fled the scene with Esau pondering Jacob’s demise in his heart (Genesis 27:41); those words were relayed to Jacob via their mother Rebekah (v.42), which forced Jacob to flee and stay away for many years.

Upon returning, Jacob feared that Esau would still be angry with him, hence the unusually large gift to appease his brother.

So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau: two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys — Genesis 32:12-14 (NASB).

I can think of a better gift to receive and one without any strings (or hard feelings) attached whatsoever — God’s salvation.

You see, God sent His son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world would be saved through Jesus (John 3:17). It is a gift that was freely given, available to all humankind and something you cannot earn, buy, or trade for. Your gifts to God are nothing in comparison to what He has for you, although giving your life to Him is one gift that God will always receive.

I certainly can do nothing to merit God’s favor and I’m actually glad for that. Even before I was fully aware that my sins separated me from God, the gift of salvation was there waiting.

When I recognized my sinfulness and my need to be forgiven, I unlocked a gift that keeps on giving. I understood that Jesus dying for my sins and rising from the dead absolved me of my sins and opened the way to life everlasting.

Most gifts are quickly forgotten, often forsaken and sometimes broken or delivered with strings attached. The gift of salvation has been given by God which allows the recipient to be brought before the One who is above great men.

Have you opened up your gift of salvation yet?

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