BY THE STRENGTH OF GOD'S SPIRIT
All that we are and have come from God. He made anything we have available to us so we can use them to serve Him. Today, Peter expands the idea of any gifts we have beyond just seeing them as though they are of our own making. Therefore, we must be conscious of the truth that we've received any good gift from God. We must function with the mind of Christ, using God's gifts to serve each other by the strength of the Spirit who works in and through us, so we can give Him all the glory.
Reference: 1 Peter 4:11 New Living Translation (NLT)
'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. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.'
When we acknowledge that God is the source of every good thing in our lives, and whatever we become, then we know that we must use the good things and good gifts available to us by the strength of His Spirit. In other words, recognise and lean on the ability of the One who supplied the gifts, while using them. When speaking, let the Spirit take control of your speech, so as to speak as one who is speaking the utterances of God. In any gift you function, allow the Spirit of God to set the course of your life. This is because the Bible says, 'What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it' (1 Corinthians 4:7 ESV).
It is God that gave us every single good thing we have in our lives. He is the source of all the good things that come our way, including the good gifts we have. Even the desire we nurture in our hearts and all the good things we crave, they come from God. And the precious thing about God is that His gifts and His call can never be withdrawn. They are irrevocable and irreversible, according to Romans 11:29 (NIV). God does not change His mind even when we change. He doesn't go from being a good God who gives good gifts to a bad God who takes away the gifts because we are no longer good enough. He is still the source of all the good gifts in our lives and He never changes or withdraws it.
No wonder James 1:17 (ESV) says, 'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.' Notice the rendering: every good and perfect gift. That means, we have the good gifts and also we all have perfect gifts. What is the difference between good and perfect gifts? Let's find out! Remember that the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12:28 (KJV), 'But covet earnestly the best gifts.' That's concerning spiritual gifts which are beyond merely natural things and so they are the perfect gifts. Good works are good gifts. They are gifts like helping others, hospitality like sharing food and money gifts, words of encouragement and other acts of human service.
Beloved, our lives, spiritual gifts, talents, money, material things, and the ability to help others should be spent for God's purpose so as to bring Him glory. Therefore, whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord (Colossians 3:17), which means that the choice to use our lives and gifts to bring Him glory can only be possible by engaging His Name and Spirit in every good work. And today, Peter is reminding us that it is God that deserves the glory for all we do by His Spirit and He will receive it, if we acknowledge Him.
Scripture Reading - Matthew 25:15; Luke 11:13; Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; 1 Timothy 4:14; Peter 4:10; 2 Corinthians 9:15.
Guided Prayer: Heavenly Father, I take delight in everything you give and I admit that you're the giver. I receive bigger rewards and wealth in this present life as a result of your precious gifts and endowments. Therefore, I give you all the glory and credit for all that is good in my life, especially the good and perfect gifts, in Jesus' Name, Amen!
