Let's apply this spiritually. At birth, each of us begins a journey toward eternity. Before us are two places and we choose the direction we will go. Surely no one wants to go to hell, a lake of fire and torment. It is a downward slope and a person naturally falls that way because the force of evil gravity in our society draws our carnal nature that way. (Romans 3:23.)
When a person realizes he is racing down the broad way of sin, he needs to slam on his brakes, turn completely around, and begin the upward climb to Heaven, a place of rest and happiness-God's dwelling place. It takes effort and "grace" to accelerate upward. If our spiritual "grace" gauge is on "E" for very long, we will lose momentum and possibly backslide. Therefore, we need to check our fuel gauge and see if we are low on any of these graces.
FAITH: "...Without faith it is impossible to please him;..." Hebrews 11:6. The entire plan of salvation relies on our faith in God, His Son, His Word and the Holy Spirit. We must have faith in the blood of Jesus that it will wash away our sins. We must believe God's Holy Spirit abides within the sanctified soul and He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5.) We must have faith, never wavering, when we pray because His Word tells us to come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy. (Hebrews 4:16.) Also, Jesus said, "...ask, and it shall be given you;..." Matthew 7:7. He promised to supply our needs when we ask in His name, and little seeds of faith can move mountains of obstacles.
Faith nurtures confidence and together they deepen into trust. God wants us to daily trust Him. Whether we prosper or suffer adversity, God desires us to have faith in Him and trust His wisdom in guiding us.
HOPE: "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast,..." Hebrews 6:19. Through the grace of hope, we see Jesus with arms outstretched and heaven waiting for us. Hope gives a saint victory over depression and a martyr courage to face torture and death at the hands of a persecutor. Remember Stephen and the vision he had as he was being stoned to death? (Acts 7:56.) Without a hopeful vision of heaven, we can disappoint ourselves and the Lord when physical suffering comes our way. There is hope in the promises of God's Word for every crisis, trial, trouble or affliction that we may face on life's journey.
When we have a stedfast hope, peace nestles in our heart and joy bubbles in our soul. It is divine peace and joy that the world cannot give. This unspeakable joy will show on our faces and attract others to Jesus Christ. He alone can light the joyful hope within the soul that will brighten life, attract others to Himself and give us victory over death.
LOVE: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind;..." All through the chapter of I Corinthians 13 we read about love and its attributes. We may have faith to move mountains and eternal hope encouraging us to give our bodies to be burned, but if we do not have charity, (love) it profits us nothing. God is love, (I John 4:8) and if we have His Holy Spirit within us, we will have love for others. His divine love causes us to have mercy and forgiveness when we are treated wrongly-even turning the other cheek if need be. (Matthew 5:39-48.) Love does not envy, but instead it prefers another in honor. (Romans 12:10.) The spirit of divine love is not proud and boastful but it is meek and humble, willing to serve others in the same manner Jesus did when He was in His fleshly body.
If we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, and if we love others as ourselves, then we will obey the Ten Commandments and/or all of His commandments. Thus sin will not be in our hearts and we will be welcomed into heaven.
The journey to heaven is plain and simple, but it takes determination on our part. Through the tunnels, in the valleys and around the curves of life we must have these "graces" to keep going onward and upward. If you find yourself spiritually parked along the Heavenly Highway, check your "grace" gauge and see if u-r-on-E. If so, go to Jesus Christ who has plenteous grace for every need and let Him fill you up. [ The End ]