I thought recently of some special ways the Holy Spirit really personifies grace and ministers grace to me. He is so wonderful and good, and He is always love and grace towards us!
One way He has ministered grace to me is in just being all about giving. He always gives. He gives love, and He gives blessings, and He gives understanding, and He gives strength, and He gives, and gives, and gives again. He gives all those things through the gift of Himself, rising up and filling me! When He fills me, I am on top of the world. I don't have fear or worry or doubt; I sense that everything is going to be okay and my worries pale in comparison to Him. So with His very presence comes all the joy and power and peace that He truly is, and He pushes out the darkness and lies. He just keeps on doing that whenever I need it! He is always there, ready to help, a very present help in trouble! He is nourishing, like water to my parched soul. He is so fulfilling and satisfying - He especially satisfies my deepest need for love! But He also satisfies my other needs for direction, encouragement, strength, etc. He is a giver! And He gives liberally and freely, without reproach - which means without frustration or irritation, without condemning or berating me! He just gives, whether I've had a "good performance" day or not. We can always drink of the water of Life, the Spirit, freely, any time we want, for He is given freely! This embodies grace to me, because it isn't about my performance but all about His gift. Grace can mean a gift given freely, without our having to earn or deserve or merit it. That is why it is called a gift, not a reward. Well, everything the Spirit is, the gift of the Spirit and all He brings us, all of that is a free gift of grace! He will give of Himself to us no matter what, just because He loves us and loves to give to us! Wow!
Another way He ministers grace to me is by the freedom He brings. Grace is freedom from law and sin; it is the opposite of law and takes us out from under law, and also sin won't be master over us now that we are under grace. We have been set free from the law and are free of sin's power over us, and we are now under the law of the Spirit, which is Life and Freedom. I love how the Holy Spirit really leaves me free! He never demands of me or pushes me. He never requires or coerces. He doesn't point out my faults and He doesn't put "shoulds" and "musts" on me. Instead He keeps telling me I am right with God and beloved by Him, making me just fall in love with God and want to follow Him! He rises up from within me as my new nature that wants to do the right thing and wants to love people! He motivates me from within, so that it is truly my desire to love and do rightly! He fights against Satan's attacks and lies that could confuse or trap me. He is on my side to fight against the enemy's tactics. He shows me the truth, that my new heart is good and righteous and wants to follow God. He is the Love that rises in my heart so I freely want to love! And He does all this without ever forcing or demanding. In fact, if I never acted out the love that He put in me, He wouldn't condemn me. He would love me just the same and I would still be God's precious child, even if I never did another thing right for the rest of my life! that is freedom! Knowing you are loved no matter what you do is true freedom! The way He works is through freedom, hallelujah!
The last way I see the Spirit ministering grace to me is in how He leads me to just rest and not "try." Grace is about God doing all for us, so we can rest and not have to "try", instead just enjoying the favor and friendship of God. He encourages me to just enjoy my relationship with God. He reminds me that through Christ's finished work, I'm already complete and right with God, I'm set forever, home free, already in perfect relationship with God, so I can relax and just enjoy being with God and fellowshipping with Him! He is always reminding me that all is well between us. He is always delighting in me. He is such joy! He is just pure joy, so easy-going, so jovial and happy! He is joy rising up within me, the joy of just being in relationship with God! This was the whole point and goal of Jesus' death, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Spirit - so we could have union fellowship with God Himself - wow! The Holy Spirit constantly affirms that relationship and is always available and ready to fellowship with me! He brings me to be able to stop all my efforts at trying to make life work or make my relationship with Christ work, and leads me to just rest and enjoy the relationship, because it's already mine, and to be able to stop my efforts and know God will take care of me. What a wonderful God and what wonderful grace!
