Have you ever seen two people make a commitment to Christ, and one of them really grows in his faith while the other one struggles in his walk with God? Have you ever wondered what made the difference in the two people? There's a simple one-word answer to those questions - grace. When I first came to know Christ, I began to grow rapidly in my faith. There was a fire burning deep within my soul. Many of my friends however, endeavored to grow but were without success.

One of my friends came to me and said, "Sammy, you must have a lot of will power. That must be why you are growing so much in your walk with God." I knew what my friend was saying wasn't true, but at that time I didn't know why. I just knew that I didn't have enough will power to change many of the things that had changed in my life. The more I learned about God, the more I concluded that there was only one reason for my growth - God's grace.

But why didn't my friends grow in the same way? Many of them were from Christian backgrounds. They knew the Bible. They didn't have the same heart to learn that I had. They had grown up in Sunday School and many felt that they knew every thing there was to know about the Christian life. On the other hand, I knew that I didn't know anything. I was quite aware that I needed to depend completely upon God. And God gives grace to the humble (1Peter 5:5,James 4:6). It's that grace that produces spiritual growth.

Without grace, we can never become what God intends us to become. We are saved by God's grace, and we continue to grow by His grace. We can see a direct correlation with the condition of our hearts and our growth. A humble heart is able to receive grace. When grace is applied to our hearts, then the more we become like Christ. In reality, the older we get, the more like Jesus we should become.

The world in which we live judges people by their outward appearance. However, the Bible says that God looks upon the inner man. When grace is applied to our hearts, then we become more beautiful in God's sight. That's why many of my heroes have been those who have walked with God for many years. There's an inner beauty that can only be described in spiritual terms. There's a quality of peace and love that seems to exude from their lives that has been produced by years of God's grace being applied to their hearts. They are the giants of the faith.

Yet, I have also seen elderly people (including Christians) who are bitter and very unhappy people. Their very personalities have been scarred by years of attempting to live in the power of the "flesh." The difference over many years between a person who has allowed God's grace to be applied to his heart and one that has not is like night and day. There's an old saying about "growing old gracefully." There's only one way to "grow old gracefully" - be full of grace as you grow old.

Yes, it's truly amazing grace that saves us, but it's also amazing grace that keeps us. And, perhaps just as amazing is the grace that causes us to grow into the image of Christ. If you want to become more beautiful every day, then humble yourself under God's mighty hand, and His grace will be applied to you. You'll become more beautiful every year - even with wrinkles on your face!