You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:13-16).
One habit we need to have is the habit of looking for the opportunity to gracious. If you have been around people for any length of time, you will have found that human nature seems geared to seek, find, and expose fault for the purpose of criticizing it. God, on the other hand, wants us to be look for opportunities to show His grace with others.
Graciousness and a forgiving attitude go hand in hand. A gracious spirit is a forgiving spirit. It is interesting that in the Beatitudes mercy comes before purity. Mercy is one of the main ingredients that makes you pure in heart.
We often fall into the trap of the Pharisees by majoring on the minors. We focus on rules, obligations, and commands that focus on actions instead of the ones that focus on the attitudes that should go behind the actions. Many of us can do very well at the external actions, but these are not as important as the inner attitudes that lead to our actions.
For instance, how many of us really want to excel at being poor in spirit, loving our enemies and not judging others? Bad attitudes produce bad fruit. Be sensitive to the needs of others. Be more concerned about healing them than criticizing them. Be more concerned about being forgiving than being right.
Would your friends and family say you are the kind of person who looks for the opportunity to be gracious? If your answer is yes, why do you think they would? If your answer is no, what do you need to change about your habits or attitudes so that you can be more gracious?
Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth. 