We All Want Grace, But We Cannot

Modern Christians, Especially Those In The Western World, Have Generally Been Found Wanting In The Area Of Holiness Of Body. Gluttony And Laziness, For Example, Were Regarded By Earlier Christians As Sin. Today We May Look On These As Weaknesses Of The Will But Certainly Not Sin. We Even Joke About Our Overeating And Other Indulgences Instead Of Crying Out To God In Confession And Repentance.

The Fruit Of Patience In All Its Aspects - Long-suffering, Forbearance, Endurance, And Perseverance - Is A Fruit That Is Most Intimately Associated With Our Devotion To God. All Character Traits Of Godliness Grow Out Of And Have Their Foundation In Our Devotion To God, But The Fruit Of Patience Must Grow Out Of That Relationship In A Particular Way.

I Realize Anew That, Just As We Must Learn To Obey God One Choice At A Time, We Must Also Learn To Trust God One Circumstance At A Time. Trusting God Is Not A Matter Of My Feelings But Of My Will. I Never Feel Like Trusting God When Adversity Strikes, But I Can Choose To Do So Even When I Don’t Feel Like It. That Act Of The Will, Though, Must Be Based On Belief, And Belief Must Be Based On Truth.

Nothing Cuts The Nerve Of The Desire To Pursue Holiness As Much As A Sense Of Guilt. On The Contrary, Nothing So Motivates Us To Deal With Sin In Our Lives As Does The Understanding And Application Of The Two Truth That Our Sins Are Forgiven And The Dominion Of Sin Is Broken Because Of Our Union With Christ.

God Is Worthy Of My Loving Obedience Because Of Who He Is, Not Because Of What He Does.