A person living by God’s grace will clothe themselves with humility. Unfortunately, this particular frit of the Spirit is not eagerly sought after by most believers. Perhaps that is because it is often confused with self-depreciation, which denies there is any good or worth in us. Humility gives credit where credit is due, namely to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Humility begins with God’s grace nd recognizes that the good in us, and the good done by us in service to God and other people, is totally undeserved on our part and is due to the work of the Holy Spirit. Pride, which is the opposite of humility, seeks to find within ourselves some innate goodness or even to ascribe to our own commitment or faithfulness the cause of any blessing of God in our lives. Jesus said in John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do … READ MORE

Gratitude is a handmaiden of contentment. An ever-growing attitude of gratitude will certainly make us more content since we will be focusing more on what we do have than on what we do not have. Discontentment usually arises when we think we are not getting what we DESERVE, or when we think we are not getting as MUCH as someone else. If we want to live by what we deserve, we ill be in dire straights! Our problem is we don’t recognize how far short we come every day in doing what we are supposed to do. We read in 1 Timothy 6:6 “godliness with contentment is great gain.” All the wealth and prestige in teh world with discontentment results in poverty of Spirit. Contentment arises in our souls from living by grace which brings great wealth of spirit, even if we are living in personal poverty and obscurity. Contentment is a process and we are told in Philippians 4:11 that it is something that we must learn. Living in God’s grace will manifest itself by being content with the plan and purpose of a God who loves us and will use our current circumstances to mold us into the … READ MORE

Having experienced God’s grace, ourselves, we are called on to extend that grace to others. The evidence of whether we are living by his grace is to be found int he way we treat other people. When we see ourselves as sinners and totally unworthy in ourselves of God’s compassion, patience, and forgiveness, then we will want to be gracious to others. God’s grace is meant to be a transforming grace. Paul says in Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” God’s grace brings salvation, not only from the guilt and condemnation of sin, but also from the reign of sin in our lives. The first character trait that should flow out of experiencing God’s grace is gratitude. In the gift of eternal life, God has given us greater treasure than all the accumulated wealth of the world. The question we need to evaluate is, “Are we sufficiently grateful for this priceless gift?” The reality is that all blessings come to us by God’s grace, and all of them are occasions for gratitude … READ MORE