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The holy spirit was sent by our Heavenly Father God to be the resident father of the church. He is the comforter sent specifically for the establishment, enablement, guidance and comfort of the church. He is God IN us - our ability and help in and for everything. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the manifestation (disclosure, revealing activities) of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit's activity not ours. We just cooperate with him. These gifts are not really for the benefit of the bearer, they are for the good of the church and a witness of God's love, existence and power to the world. There are different kinds of gifts, but it's the same Holy Spirit that distributes them to different people. 1 Corinthians 12:4,7NIV Grace, on the other hand, is an enabling force based on the favour of another. It is being advantaged by the force of favour of a higher power or influence. For example, if your dad is a well known hollywood star, and you are in his favour, you will have some doors open to you just because of your dad's influence that he makes available to you. God's Grace gives you the ability to ride high to achievement based on the on his spiritual power, influence and reputation made available to you his child. You are enabled by that grace to do things at a level beyond your own physical, mental or spiritual stage or ability. You are a wonder because your achievements cannot be explained by human logic! Now, grace and gifts of the Spirit have one thing in common - they are not worked for. They are not earned.
All we, as people given gifts and grace, have to do is: 1. Accept them - a gift that you have not received is no use to you or anyone else 2. Find out how they work and how to use them. Get knowledgeable about them. 3. Use them fully for the purpose they were given. Take full advantage of their benefits - don't frustrate the grace of God. They were given to be used... not stored somewhere "safe". "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." Galatians 2:21 KJV Because these gifts are not earned, not one of us can boast or elevate ourselves above another since what we have is not by our own effort- they are just God's presents. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV It would therefore be wrong to equate the working of gifts and graces with spiritual maturity in Christ. For example, - Assuming I have been given a powerful computer, - I set to work to learn how to use it well - I master it's use and achieve great work with it - I become an accomplished computer expert HOWEVER, -the computer is not me. -the skills to use the computer are just developed ability not me - the works I achieve are just results of my good use of the computer, they are not me. - ME is my thoughts and habits i.e fruits and character of my (spirit) nature shown in the way I relate with God, treat people and myself. Nothing speaks maturity more than the character of God developed in a person so much so, that it has become his own very nature. This is the real test of growth.
A man can have a very gifted son and graced son who utilizes all resources to their full benefit but if the motives of the son are all wrong, the righteous father cannot be pleased. He might be pleased because of lives changed for good by the use of the resources he made available, but he will be saddened by the fact that his son has left out the most important thing... the development of his own character. God our father wants the works of service we do and that is why he made available to us gifts, but more importantly, he wants his sons to know and reflect his nature. "This is because I want faithful love, not sacrifice. I want people to know God, not to bring burnt offerings" Hosea 6:6 ERV Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4 NIV The point is though his nature is birthed in us (we inherently have our fathers DNA) but just as any parent knows, your genes do not ultimately determine your character. Your genes might predispose you to a character, but character is/are habits that have become nature by consistency. Actually, your character develops from your thinking. Thinking is a determined from a palate of information you are exposed to (all your thoughts are generated from a set list of information sources - all apart from you). We act based on our thinking (mindset, heart) so really, you are your thoughts. "Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts." Luke 6:45 ERV The real you is therefore, not just your DNA, it is information that you've allowed or chosen (consciously or not) as your inner conviction - those inform all you are and think - that is YOU: your character. This is why The information you company with matters. Your exposure matters. If God is your exposure and you choose his information as your truth, this will inform your thinking and in time it ultimately determines your character. The fruits of the Spirit are the manifestation of the character of God. These determine the growth of the person into the nature of God- not the display of gifts and achievements of grace. "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." Matthew 7:20 NIV The good news is that grace is not available just for gifts and service, God's enabling favour is available for character growth as well. "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age," Titus 2:11-12 NIV God never intended for us to do life, growth or service, in fact anything, alone. He is our father and the holy Spirit is sent to walk alongside us... he's NEVER going to leave. John14:16 So, as we grow our gifts, influence and in service, let us ensure we maximise his grace in the most important of areas - the growth of our inner self in God. Because how you think - i.e. who you are - is more important than the results of your service and gifts. Matthew 7:17-24
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 NIV