No Strings Attached

Kites. Marionettes. Guitars. Good deeds.

What do they all have in common? Well, most of the time, each of these has some strings attached. We understand the need for the string on the kite because we don’t want it flying off without us. And when it comes to the marionette – it would only be a doll if it didn’t have the strings necessary to make it dance. And a guitar – well, I guess that without its strings it could double as a sorry excuse for a drum, but it certainly would lose a lot of its capacity for creating beautiful music. But then there are those ‘good deeds’. I’m pretty sure we would all get along just fine if there were no strings attached to those.

I think about Christ and how he healed people, preached the Good News and even fed 5,000 starving followers. Did He expect anything out of them in return? Well, sure, He wanted his good works to point them towards the Father, but did He expect them to return the favor or pay Him back for the good? No way! He gave those precious gifts out of the overflow of his heart. They were stringless - like free kites, porcelain dolls and rhythmic drums.

When Jesus gave – his gifts were priceless, yet they were absolutely free.

When he gave you a bite to eat, He did not expect an invitation to lunch. When he provided a salmon sandwich, he did not require a hunk of fish & a chunk of bread to be paid back to him at a later date. You had no obligation to follow Him after He touched you with those healing hands. He didn’t guilt you into anything. You could love Him or leave Him. The choice was yours. Even today, Jesus still carries out the same no-strings-attached ministry that He practiced while on this earth.

Do we operate in the same way? Or are our good deeds laced with reciprocal expectations? Do we give & serve for the mere joy of the act? Or do we wait around for a pat on the back, a word of praise, a plaque in our honor? I long to be in that place where my gifts and good deeds are free and clear. I ache for God to do a work in me so that all that I do is truly for Him and for nothing or no one else! I want my acts of kindness to be just that – without any disclaimers or hidden agendas buried within the fine print.

I am asking God for a consuming fire to rage through my heart. What would happen if each of us would minister – like Jesus – with no strings attached?