Signs of grace

How can you tell if you are growing in the grace of Christ (2 Pt. 3:18)?  Scotty Smith regularly offers insights on Twitter (follow him @ScottyWardSmith) about manifestations of the growth of grace in a believer’s life.  Here are some of my favorite over the past couple of weeks.  A sign you are growing in grace:

• You define success less by how much you do in a day & more in terms of how well you love
• You expect to discover more of your need for Jesus today & more of the riches of Jesus.
• The older you get the more you remember stuff your parents actually did right
• There are things you no longer do only because of your love for Jesus
• “Rewards” means throwing crowns at Jesus’ feet, not better furniture for your “mansion”
• Your inwards groans are getting louder and your eager waiting more intense. Rom.8:23
• You know the difference between being obsessively busy and providentially busy
• You know if Jesus is calling you to do 3 things you can’t afford to dabble with 17
• The people who know you best would say you live more of a called life than a driven life
• You know you’re not anywhere close to being as free as Jesus intends
• You’re intentional about not spending all your time with Christians
• You boast IN your weaknesses but you don’t boast about them. They don’t define you.
• You don’t live by the frowns and judgments of professional weaker brothers
• You know when you’re giving God a bit part in your story versus finding your place in His
• You know the difference between dialogue & diatribe when discussing theological matters
• You stop trying to be an chameleon on scotch plaid… trying to keep everybody happy
• Somebody with redemptive wisdom knows about your struggle with sexual sin
• If you don’t know, you don’t pretend you do.
• You don’t appeal to the sovereignty of God as an excuse for your being lazy or foolish
• You don’t feel the need to pose and pretend as often or as much.
• You’re just as excited about what the gospel frees you FOR as what it frees you FROM
• You’re cultivating an informed mind with an enflamed heart and engaged hands
• You love “bracketology” but you REALLY love theology.
• Because of God’s grace at work in your heart, it’s getting harder to gossip, nag & snarl
• The gap between your sound doctrine and your actual discipleship is narrowing
• You repent freely and regularly, to your spouse and children
• You grieve how touchy, pouty and defensive you can be
• People you’re talking with don’t just hear your words but experience your presence
• You recognize quicker when you’re importing last year’s anger into today’s disappointment
• You say “always” and “never” less often, and “I’m so sorry” a whole lot more
• The more you understand your union with Christ the more you crave communion with Him
• Repentance is becoming less something YOU do and more Someone you trust, namely, Jesus
• The word “overcomer” in Revelation makes you think about Jesus, THE Overcomer, not you.
• Your cry for a changed heart is louder than your cry for relief
• There are fewer pages in the little book in which you keep a record of wrongs done to you
• You notice a person’s dignity before you notice their depravity
• You laugh with louder gufaws, & cry with hotter tears, because the gospel is at work.
• You’re learning to repay good for evil without being self-righteous or pious about it.
• The word “godliness” makes you think about what Jesus has done for you, not vice versa
• You don’t have to form an opinion about everything, nor a need to always share yours
• The time lapse between the Spirit’s convicting and your repenting is much shorter
• Your use of caller ID reflects your commitment to love well, not simply avoid people
• What you are behind the steering wheel is a demonstration of the power of the gospel
• When at the “Y” or gym of choice, you do less mirror gazing and more working out
• You don’t violate confidences. You can be trusted with the brokenness of others
• You enjoy, but you don’t flaunt Christian liberty. Act like you been there before
• Prayer walks are yielding as much satisfaction as shopping sprees, maybe more.
• You will do everything you can NOT to do unnecessary damage to a person’s reputation
• Your family and friends can relax around you more than they did last year.
• When in Starbucks, you don’t judge the people who sit in the best chairs for hours
• It takes minutes not weeks to recognize when you’ve fallen back into works righteousness
• Your theology always leads to doxology, not merely to you being more right than others
• Compliments don’t intoxicate you and criticism doesn’t decimate you
• You can enjoy God’s gifts without reservation & share God’s gifts without hesitation
• Your thoughts of heaven are more about the transforming of this world than escaping it
• God’s promises claim you more than you claim them