Pastor Chris’ Corona Quarantine Epistles to the Flock of AIC Ngong Road, in Dispersion and Isolation. 141st. Edition.
Dear Saints,
In our passage yesterday we dealt with attitudes, as they affect our relationships. In today’s passage (1 Peter 4:10-11) we look at the importance of service to one another. To enable us for service, God has given each one of us believers a gift. It is our responsibility to exercise responsible
Stewardship (v. 10). The gifts that we have been given through grace. Grace is unmerited, so none of us can boast and look down on others. Instead, we ought to see ourselves as stewards of the grace of God. A steward manages what belongs to another and applies it as the owner desires. In the case of spiritual gifts, God’s desire is that they would be applied to Service (v. 10). The gifts of grace are not intended for the personal benefit of those to whom they are given, but “for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Two areas of service are given here. The first is that of
Speech. God has given some of us the ability to proclaim his word with clarity and authority. We must never take it as our own ability, nor boast about it, neither use it for personal gain. What we speak is “the oracles of God,” so we must always represent him and not ourselves, since it is his communication, not ours. The second area is referred to simply as
Service. This is obviously very broad and includes hospitality, generosity and acts of kindness and mercy, among others. The important thing to note here is that when we talk of service to God, pretty much all of it is service to fellow Christians. God is glorified when we use our gifts to serve others and meet their needs. So let us serve one another, as though it were service to God because it is.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.