“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”--I Peter 4:10

As we have studied from last month, one of the major themes in the epistles of Peter is suffering. During times of persecution, Christians need to maintain a positive attitude, like that of Jesus. Having a positive attitude is more than passively enduring the pain; it involves contributing to the church body.

How can we effectively contribute? First, spend our time wisely. Peter reminds Christians to not waste time doing inappropriate things such as debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry (4:3). Second, know the time we’re in. Peter reminds us “The end of all things is near” (4:7). The curtain of the world will soon be drawn. Knowing the time we’re in should affect what we do. There is a sense of desperation to re-prioritize our life.

Peter, in this passage (4:7-11), gave us three exhortations: First, pray with a clear mind and self-control. Praying with a clear mind is to know exactly what you want and why you want it. The ultimate prayer is to pray within God’s Will so that we can truly ask God to replace our preferences with His purposes. There is a couple of interpretations to “being self-controlled so that you can pray”. One, to be restrain from asking beyond what we need, and the other, to restrain from the activities as described in v.3 so that our prayers will not be hindered. It serves well for us to remember that sins always hinder prayers.

The second exhortation is to practice love. Peter said “to love each other deeply” and “to offer hospitality without grumbling.” The two descriptions are important to remember: love deeply and without grumbling. This is so unnatural for us! We just don’t have this kind of capacity. About the only way to do that is to keep focusing on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to keep having faith in His Return, putting everything in order and under His control.

The final exhortation is to serve others. God has given every Christian spiritual gifts (charisma) to serve (the word for deacon) others. “Faithfully administering” means “being good stewards.” What God has entrusted us we must faithfully discharge. No one has all the gifts to do everything, and no one has zero gift to do nothing. All of us must be good stewards, contributing to building the church in preparation for the Lords Coming. Having the right motivation is important—so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ!