SERVING THE LORD
“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10
Who is it that is responsible to serve the Lord? Is it only a few elite Christians that have been called and equipped for the Lord’s work? Our text tells us several things about the life of Christian service. To begin with, it teaches that every believer has been gifted for service. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another.” God has promised every one of His children the spiritual ability to be of service to Him and others. We all have not been gifted in the same way, but we all are equipped and capable of serving the Master. We must learn that all believers are not identical; we do not all have the same gifts and abilities. God made us to be different. We should not covet what God gives another person, nor should we despise what God gives us.
By faith, we know that the Lord gives us the ability to serve Him. There is no such thing as a Christian who has nothing to offer in the way of service or ministry. We may not have discovered what God wants us to do, or we may still be preparing ourselves spiritually or doctrinally. But He definitely has a place for all to serve. This Scripture also teaches us that the purpose of our spiritual giftedness is that we might “minister the same one to another.” God does not gift us so that we might use our gifts for our personal agendas or preferences. He does not give us spiritual gifts that we might be proud or have an attitude of superiority. We are gifted to serve; and that service is primarily to and through the body of Christ, the local church where we are members. Needs among fellow Christians will not be met if we do not serve one another. Whatever our giftedness, we are to use our gifts to serve or minister to each other.
In addition, we are taught that we are to be “good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” We are responsible to be good stewards of God’s gifts. The basic principles of stewardship teach us that we do not own the things God entrusts to us; but we are to manage and use them, as would be pleasing to Him. One day, we will give an account to God for our stewardship; may He find us faithful. It is a great privilege to serve the Lord and to know that God equips us for service. May our lives be spent serving the Lord and others with gladness.