When we speak of the restorative grace of God we must understand that our restoration involves being free of Satan's deception which would have us live in slavery and fear throughout our lives- Accordingly, we no longer need to live in fear.

What is easier- To forgive sins or to heal-

1 Peter 4-12-19---How does this translate to the suffering we will encounter in this life- With each type of suffering we have a choice. Either we endure the suffering, longing for the pain to get over. Or we embrace the suffering as a means by which God would wean us from this world, demonstrate the true nature of sin, and so give us a greater hunger and longing for Christ- that is what Peter is talking about here- -But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing--

This is what God does with ones He loves- otherwise known as -His beloved-- As His redeeming work will never be completed on this side of the grave, we can be sure that if we are saved, God is going to temper us with trial not because He is angry with us, but because He loves us-

Do you understand what this means practically when it comes to the exercise and use of your gifts- The focus is not you and me, but Christ- And not just now in this age, but throughout eternity future- This is incredibly encouraging. The ultimate reason you and I have been engifted is so that Christ-God might be honored through us-

Every spiritual gifting is not simply a tool with which to serve the Lord and so His people. It is not something we own, nor something that arises out of ourselves. Rather, it is a calling vested with Divine enabling -that's our gifting- and authority -that's our position- unto the attaining of Christ's purpose and will-

The gift that God has given you upon your conversion was not given to you to encourage you, build you up, or establish you in any way. The gift God invested in you has been given to you that you might use it unto the building up of the body of Christ -cf. Romans 12-5 - 1 Corinthians 12-4-7--...

Our base inclination is to relate to God as a Santa Clause figure or a Task Master- both of which believe that divine blessing is based on what we do. As such when we sin we think a massive frown comes upon the face of God which will only be removed by you and I doing something to make it up to Him- Yet this is categorically wrong-