We All Want Grace, But We Cannot

The Fruit Of The Spirit Is Fundamentally Relational. Rather Than Originating With Us, It Flows To Us From Our Union With Christ, And It Flows Beyond Us To Bring Us Into Fellowship With Others. The Secret Of This Flow - And Our Unity With God And Others - Is Humility.

Giving Thanks To God For Both His Temporal And Spiritual Blessings In Our Lives Is Not Just A Nice Thing To Do - It Is The Moral Will Of God. Failure To Give Him The Thanks Due Him Is Sin.

Jesus Did Not Die Just To Save Us From The Penalty Of Sin, Nor Even Just To Make Us Holy In Our Standing Before God. He Died To Purify For Himself A People Eager To Obey Him, A People Eager To Be Transformed Into His Likeness.

That Which Should Distinguish The Suffering Of Believers From Unbelievers Is The Confidence That Our Suffering Is Under The Control Of An All-powerful And All-loving God. Our Suffering Has Meaning And Purpose In God's Eternal Plan, And He Brings Or Allows To Come Into Our Lives Only That Which Is For His Glory And Our Good.

We Are 100 Percent Responsible For The Pursuit Of Holiness, But At The Same Time We Are 100 Percent Dependent Upon The Holy Spirit To Enable Us In That Pursuit. The Pursuit Of Holiness Is Not A Pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps Approach To The Christian Life.