TUESDAY: STEWARDSHIP + OWNERSHIP
KEY PASSAGE
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
DEVOTIONAL
What has God given you that you can give to others? Peter wrote this letter to the church to encourage them in their faith in the midst of persecution. He gave them practical instruction for living Godly lives. Peter is communicating in this verse that God has given each person a gift. What does this mean? Ephesians 2:10 says, “for we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Our Heavenly Father crafted and created each of us with an individual purpose to serve others and use the gift to glorify God.
Your gifts were never meant to be kept for yourself, but to be given away. The gift God has given you is a unique gift. This means that God never intended for you to compare your gifts with others, but to operate in the gift that God has given you.
Whether your gift is encouragement, teaching, hospitality, organization, crafting, or even just being a faithful friend to others, each of these gifts are an extension of God’s grace. You are called to be a good steward of the grace that God has given to you. Grace is the unmerited favor of God and as Christ followers we have the opportunity to extend God’s grace through our gifting. So, when you use your creativity for God’s glory it is an extension of God’s grace. When you make a meal for your neighbor you are extending God’s grace. When you pray with someone you are giving the grace of God away. When you help a friend repair something that is broken in their home, you are an extension of God’s grace. Let’s be good stewards of God’s grace through the gifts that God has given each of us today.
CHALLENGE
Take a few minutes to reflect on the grace that God has given you. Read Ephesians 2:8-9.
Look at the ways God has naturally gifted you, what are you good at?
How can you use this gift to serve others and bring God glory?