I heard that this might happen in my pre-field training and cultural study of Afghanistan. Now it was indeed happening right in my principal’s office.

The well-dressed man, father of two older male students in the school, had traveled from a southern province where he served as governor to meet with me. He communicated through a member of his entourage all he admired about the school and how he wanted more of his children to attend. He had established one of his three wives in Kabul to provide the home and oversight required. 

I explained our admissions process again, the need for English proficiency for older students, and the testing we would undertake to decide their possible, not guaranteed placement. 

Then he pulled a white, thick business envelope from his pocket. Through translation, I was informed it was a “gift for me to use in any way I determined.” 

Ah, a gift with strings attached. 

I stood up with a smile. “Thank you. I will take this right now to our business manager to help with purchasing more computers for our lab. Your sons will be taking courses there next year. Thank you so much for coming today.” As they left my office, I did just as I stated in their full view, handing the money to the business manager without even opening the envelope.

God’s gifts to us, our talents, our provisions, our opportunities, even our redemption from sin and eternal security are freely given. There are no strings attached like a bribe. Instead, they are ours to enjoy and use with purpose to encourage and serve others, so they might see a reflection of a generous, loving God in our lives and behaviors. 

Is there expectation by God for His graceful supply to us? Yes, for our own good and His glory, He prescribes the way to live well in His Word. But our faithfulness to obey impacts our benefits, not the free flow of His gifts to us, planned before we were even born. Receive them with gladness!