Mature Servants
Serve One Another – Part 3

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:7-11

Key Verse: 1 Peter 4:10

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

I ended yesterday’s devotional on a very serious note. Jesus was clear that useless servants receive severe punishment. How do we make sure we are useful and not useless in God’s view? To answer that, let’s look again at the words of the Apostle Peter: “Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 4:11).

It is extremely important to first discover the gift that God has given you. You will find it in your “passions”—the areas that truly excite you. A “job” will drain you; your “gift” will energize you. What do you really love to do when you think about being a team player in a community of believers? There are free online gift tests that are available to help in this process of discovering your spiritual gift!

Secondly, the Apostle Peter makes it clear that we must use our gift as if God Himself was flowing through us! In other words, Christ followers must put high priority on the use of their spiritual gift. Our world (and our own humanness) pushes us to live selfishly, focusing only on what pleases us! Mature Christ followers fight this tendency and daily strive to focus on those around them. Serve today!

Father, show me the opportunities to serve that you want me to focus on today! In Jesus’ name, amen.