My Significance Comes from Serving

In review of 1 Peter 4:10 it says, “Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace” (NCV).

Bottom Line:

Each has a gift that should be used to serve others.

What this means to me:

God has given me gifts, I am to use them to be a good steward of His grace.

God has given me gifts from his great variety of spiritual gifts. I am to use them to serve others. I am to use what he has given me with all the strength and energy that God supplies to me. Then everything I do, will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. For all the glory and the power be to him forever and ever!

My abilities should be faithfully used in serving others; none are for my own exclusive enjoyment. Some feel that they have no special talents at all. Peter explains that everyone has some gifts: it's up to us to find and use them. Even if I see a need in the church that isn’t within my immediate gifting, I should do what I can to meet it. In doing so I may end up finding gifts in areas I may not have even thought possible.

God is glorified when I use my abilities as he directs, to service to others. They will hopefully see Jesus in me and glorify him for the help they have received. Peter may have been thinking of Jesus' words, "Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father." (Matthew 5:15.)

This morning I’m reminded that in order to experience significance in this life, I must serve with others in ministry. Ministry just means doing good to other people.

Significance itself does not come from status or a driving a certain type of car or a logo on on shirt. Significance does not come from a bigger salary. Significance does not come from sex.

Rather, significance comes from service. Significance comes when I start thinking about others more than myself and I give my life away. It's almost impossible to be selfish and significant at the same time.

Today’s verse in 1 Peter 4:10 reminds me that, “Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others” (NCV).

The talents I’ve been given are not for my benefit. God gave them to me for the benefit of those around me. I was shaped for significance, and I’ll find that significance by using my gifts and talents and abilities to serve others.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, “Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together. If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help. If two lie down together, they will be warm, but a person alone will not be warm. An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break” (NCV).

I’m not meant to serve God by myself. I’m meant to serve God as part of a team. I’m meant to serve God in a family, in a small group, in a church. I’m meant to serve God in relationship.

We’re all better together!