I have no gift…that’s fit…

Devotional Thoughts from The Little Drummer Boy…

¹⁷ For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 

¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Romans 5:17-21 ESV

I know, I know, the song has no factual basis in the Scripture, but there is good grace-theology wrapped up in the lyrics. Consider the lyric, “I have no gift to bring…that’s fit to give a king” and compare the essence of that line with our reading in Romans 5. 

Grace is easily misunderstood by dark-hearted, natural-born sinners like us isn’t it? Some people hear grace is a free gift and think of this truth as a hall pass to “continue in sin.” That kind of unthankful lawless abuse of God’s grace is utterly condemned with the phrase, “God forbid” or “by no means” in Romans 6:2.

Not only is grace easily twisted by those who wish to remain unchanged by God’s grace and lawless, but also by those who see themselves as obedient. If we underestimate our own depravity, we easily fall prey to the sin of pride and deceive ourselves, don’t we? If we do in fact think of ourselves as a bit better than another because we have forsaken “big sins,” we have simply divided wickedness into two containers and given them labels of our own liking. Are we not, in that moment, as equally unchanged by God’s grace as the lawless one? 

Now that we have thought a little about this proverbial horse called Grace, and both sides that we may easily fall off of her, let’s move on to the way to stay in the saddle. How should we think? We ought to have the mind of a humble, poor, little boy. A boy who recognizes the grace of God to be so wonderful and extravagant that he “plays his best” for the King without presuming his gift is accepted on it’s own merit. No. Jesus’ grace does deserve the gift of my whole life, but my life isn’t truly “fit for the King.” Here, my heart sings! The grace of our King makes my gift acceptable. The rhythm of my life as I play “my best for Him,” I believe, brings a gracious smile to the face of my King.

Song Lyrics…

Come they told me
Pa rum pum pum pum
A new born king to see,
Pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the king
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
So to honor him
Pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.

Little baby
Pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too,
Pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give our king
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Shall i play for you!
Pa rum pum pum
On my drum.

Mary nodded
Pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for him
Pa rum pum pum
I played my best for him
Pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum
Then he smiled at me
Pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.