Verse: 1 Peter 4:10-11
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Devotion
Imagine I gave you a million dollars and said, “Use this money however you want to serve other people.” Would you: (a) spend the money on stuff that blessed you instead of others, (b) hide the money away out of fear that you’d fail, or (c) be a good steward of the money and find a way to start serving other people?

That’s really the choice that has been set before us by God. To really grasp this I want to look at three words:

GRACE: He is calling us in this verse to be “faithful stewards of God’s grace.” Grace is unearned favor from God. It is getting something we don’t deserve. And the “gifts” God has given us in our lives are part of his grace to us. In fact they come from the same greek word: Charis=Grace, Charisma=Gifts. So your gifts are part of God’s goodness and kindness in your life. And we all have them! Lesson 1: you are gifted. You have been given gifts by God! Stop doubting that you have anything to offer, and instead, lean into this Truth and discover how God has gifted you!

STEWARD: Lesson 2: it’s not about us. The point of the gifts isn’t so we can just use them to advance our own lives, but they were expressly given to us so that we can better serve others! That’s why the word “steward” is in there. A steward is someone who looks after someone else’s property. Think about that. Your gifts are not your own. They are God’s, on loan to you and I, to be used to serve others. That’s a pretty awesome responsibility.

SERVE: One more thought. The word “serve” can also be translated “minister.” When we use our gifts of grace to serve others, we aren’t just serving them, we are ministering God to them. We aren’t just doing something in the now, we are doing eternal work in their hearts. And that’s the point isn’t it? A loving God has given us gifts so that we can minister to others and they can in turn know his love more!

So, back to the first question. How will you use the amazing gifts that God has deposited into your life: (a) use them to advance your own desires, (b) hide them away out of fear of failure, (c) invest them in ministering to others. The choice is yours!

Prayer
God I pray for boldness to start thinking of my gifts as tools given by you with a purpose. Give me a passion to minister to others in the power of the Holy Spirit, by the grace of God, and see lives touched by your love.

Author: Christian Dunn