Stewards of grace in its various forms
Peter assumes every believer has received a gift and expects every believer to use it.
1 Peter 4:10NIV
1 Peter 4:10. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.
Three assumptions sit inside the verse. First, each of you. There is no category of believer who has received nothing. Second, the gift is for serving others. It is not a possession or a credential. Third, it is a stewardship. The word means managing something that belongs to someone else. God's grace comes in various forms, and each of us has been handed a portion of it to distribute.
Peter goes on to name two broad kinds. Speaking, which should sound like the very words of God. Serving, which should draw on the strength God provides. Whichever yours is, the point is the same: it is meant to leave your hands. Grace that is hoarded stops being grace. On a Tuesday, ask what form of it you are holding, and who nearby could use it.
More in scripture
Be Still, and Know
A short command from an old psalm asks us to stop, and tells us why.
Be Still, and Know
An ancient line, written for a frightened people, asks us to stop before it asks us to understand.
Peace That Stands Guard
When worry crowds in, an old letter offers a different way to carry it.
