And if your friend gave you a gift at your last birthday party, and you failed to open it and use it, He'd be quite disappointed I would imagine.
It isn't that kind of gift. If God requires us to believe in Him and accept Him as our God in return for salvation, then it isn't a gift but a contract -- and one in which God holds all the power. In other words, one could consider it an extortion racket: "Believe in Me or you'll fry." Not necessarily something a "loving God" would do, is it?
Does anyone else ever think these issues through, or do they just accept them because they were told that was the way it was?