It has to be a gift

Well, I guess it's obvious the fall TV season is in full swing by now on this blog. For better or worse, here comes another one of those meditations brought on by the briefest of exchanges.

This time the source is a new show on CBS called Three Rivers. As I've mentioned before, the fact I'm referencing a show on this blog is not necessarily a ringing endorsement, just an observation.

Anyway, Three Rivers is yet another medical drama, courtesy of CBS. We've come a long way from Trapper John, M.D. don't you think? An organ transplant team travels from Pittsburgh to Cleveland in pursuit of a heart.

When they arrive, the man's daughter is not so sure organ donation is the best idea (maybe that's a blog debate for another day?). A member of the transplant team is upset and accosts the young lady saying, "Don't you know a woman is dying? She needs that heart."



One of his colleagues intervenes, grabbing him and says simply, "It has to be a gift."

And what a line that is. Woven throughout the Bible, we see one unfailing example after another of people that give a gift in service to God, first in a foreshadowing of the gift of Christ, then as an attempt to follow in his footsteps.

From Abraham's sacrifice of his only son Isaac to Rahab's scarlet thread, on through the generosity of Boaz to Ruth and Esther's great risk ... it has to be a gift.

From the infant in swaddling clothes to the perfumed washing of Jesus' feet, from Gethsemane and Calvary to the day of Pentecost ... it had to be a gift.

From the striking down of Ananias and Sapphira to the stoning of Stephen, continuing through the Reformation and the Great Awakening, even unto the martyrdom of Nate Saint, Jim Elliot and others throughout history ... it has to be a gift.

And on a smaller scale, the same is true within our hearts. Jesus does not come demanding, "Don't you know you're going to die? You have to give me your heart."

He knows that he can only use a willing heart. Just ask the rich young ruler. He followed the commandments, he believed in God. But Jesus offered him a simple proposition: "Go sell all you have and give it to the poor. Then come follow me." And the man simply walked away.

It's easy for us to do the same. We believe, we attend church, we follow the rules. But we're holding back, we're having second thoughts about donating one of our organs for God. We want it for ourselves, but we need to give it away to truly live.

It has to be a gift.