1 Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Our lives are filled with ambitions, assignments, and adversities. Hopefully, your ambition is like that of the Apostle Paul who made his aim to please the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9). With an ambition to please the Lord we look for His assignments for our life that impact our vocation and relationship. Then regardless of how devoted we are to the Lord or what we are doing for the Lord with our lives, we experience adversities. As we live out our lives one thing is clear: WE NEED HELP. Life is difficult. We need help to reach our dreams. We need help to fulfill the assignments and we need help with the adversities of life. And just as we need help OTHERS NEED HELP because their lives are like yours.
Because we need help and others need help God comes along and gives things for us to do for one another. As a believer, you find throughout the New Testament actions to do for others. In an intense study, I discovered 56 positive actions to do for others. The list, shall we say, is exhaustive regarding what you can do for another person. Here in 1 Peter we find we are to minister to one another. While that may sound daunting we should not miss that God has gifted us with a spiritual gift or gifts to carry out the ministry. The call of 1 Peter 4:10 is that we DO ministry. Our Christianity is to be ACTIVE. We are not to be just learners and talkers but DOERS. As we see needs we are to take action. The gift or gifts God has ENTRUSTED us with are to activate. And let us be clear, our verse says we are stewards of the gifts God has given us and He is expecting that we will be good stewards.
Are you using your God-given gifts to minister to the needs of others?
The Greek word for “minister” has the idea of stirring up or kicking up dust because someone is on the move. A great example of “kicking up dust” was a man named Epaphroditus. Paul writes of him in Philippians 2:25 writing “Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;”
AN APRIL TO BELIEVE Note:
With Easter on April 20, we are reading through the gospel of John. On this April 10th, we encourage you to read/listen to John 10 where Christ is the Good Shepherd. The key verses regarding believing are John 10:John 10:37 “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 “but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” 42 And many believed in Him there.” May April be an April to Believe!
Continue Strong,
And remember to DATE The Word