Critical Spirit

      I have a friend that is always reminding me of God's grace. I tend to think of my need to earn God's favor, so one day I can hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Clearly, I'm unable to do anything worthy of God's grace, but part of me can't let go of my need to try. I came across this site on what a critical spirit is and how to amend it: http://www.gotquestions.org/critical-spirit.html#ixzz2fsIhSuuW   Here's an excerpt:

So how do we overcome a critical spirit? The condition of our heart is crucial.Luke 6:45says, "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Critical words spring from a critical heart. And a critical heart generally comes from a misunderstanding of God's grace—either due to pride or a simple lack of information about God's character and the meaning of salvation. Only when we understand our depravity apart from God and the depth of His grace will we be able to bestow grace to others (Romans 3:23;6:23;Colossians 2:13-15;Ephesians 2:1-10). Those who struggle with a critical spirit know that they can never live up to their own standards. They are constantly judging others and themselves and always coming up lacking. But Christ fills this lack! He is perfect and righteous, and He freely grants that righteousness to those who believe in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The better we understand God's grace, the more gracious we will be with others (1 Peter 2:1-3). And the more grateful we will be. The giving of thanks is a strong antidote to a critical spirit.

(While he is not the author of every article on GotQuestions.org, for citation purposes, you may reference our CEO, S. Michael Houdmann.)

Romans 6:23 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.