“God’s love is freely given, conditioned neither by our worthiness nor by any claim we might make on the Lord…The love of God is an expression of divine faithfulness…as the Lord Jesus says to us, “freely you have received, freely give” (Mt 10:8).” (Dynamis 6/27/2019)
“An authentic Christian life requires that we be imitators of God in his bountiful love and compassion. Because He gives freely expecting nothing in return, He desires that we do the same. “The point is this,” wrote St. Paul. “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:6-8).” (Fr. Philippe Mousis)
“The witness of the Apostles and of these Saints guides our response to the Lord's command, Freely you have received, freely give. As our Creator, He has freely given to us life and great potential. As our Redeemer, He freely offered Himself so that we might be victorious over sin and death. As our Lord, He freely gives to us the power to offer a witness of His grace and to see the blessed fruit of faith produced in the lives of others. As Christ freely gives to us, we freely offer to others without hesitation, without conditions, but with a deep and genuine love for their life and well-being in relationship with God.” (Archbishop Demetrios)
“Our culture has given us the mistaken notion that our Christian life, rightly lived, consists in a series of right choices…We must understand, however, that we will not arrive at the Kingdom of God through a series of right decisions. Something more fundamental is necessary. That fundamental requirement is found in the depths of our being, within our very nature itself. It is acting in union with the will of our nature that is, in the end, the true expression of freedom and the entrance into the Kingdom of God. A very simple action on our part (though difficult) constitutes just such a proper expression of freedom. It is the giving of thanks to God always and for all things. Giving thanks is not an obligation we have to God, but something that is freely given….It is important to understand that giving thanks to God is not something that can be done under obligation. What we have received from God, is itself a free gift. If the gift is free, there can be no obligation. The free offering of thanks to God resembles God’s action in its free and voluntary character. I do not put God under obligation by giving Him thanks.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“St. Paul warns us not to let our minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). We tend to over think and over intellectualize things. In the Gospel we see that Christ gave thanks to God for all things and then gave freely of Himself in all circumstances. This is simple in essence and this is the model we should follow to be like Christ. The problem is that we often do not give thanks and do not give of ourselves as we should. We then feel burdened in our souls and don’t know why. It’s because we are operating through damaged will that is actually in opposition to our true nature given to us by God. We were made to love and to give and anything opposite of that creates a burdening effect in our souls that grows worse over time if we continue in this manner.” (Sacramental Living Blog)