This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am God’s Creation! (WATCH HERE)
1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
A craftsman does not spend hours shaping a piece of wood into a beautiful serving tray so that it can sit on a shelf forever. The tray was made to be used. It was designed to carry something, to serve someone, and to fulfill the purpose for which it was created.
The same is true of us.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” God has not simply rescued us from sin and given us a place in heaven. He has made us alive in Christ and placed us in this world with a purpose.
Yet it is easy to become a consumer rather than a contributor.
We can approach church by asking what we will receive. Was the music what I expected? Did the sermon speak to me? Did the church provide what my family needed? What programs are available? What can I get from this community?
Those questions are not always wrong. We all need to receive God’s Word, encouragement, fellowship, and care. Jesus gives His gifts to us through His Church, and we should gladly receive them.
But if receiving is all we do, something is missing.
God’s grace moves us outward.
Peter says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” Notice that we first receive. Then we use what we have received to serve others. Our service is not payment for God’s grace. It is the response of people who have already received grace.
Galatians 5:13 says, “Through love serve one another.”
That means you do not need to wait until you have the perfect gift, the perfect opportunity, or the perfect amount of time. God can use what you already have.
Maybe you can encourage someone who is discouraged. Maybe you can listen to someone who needs to talk. Maybe you can welcome someone who feels alone. Maybe you can give generously, help a neighbor, teach a child, visit someone who is hurting, or pray for someone who needs God’s help.
Your contribution may never be noticed by a crowd. It may never receive applause. But God sees it.
Think again about the serving tray. Its beauty is not ultimately found in sitting on a shelf. Its purpose is fulfilled when someone picks it up and uses it to serve another person.
You are God’s workmanship.
You are alive by grace.
You have been created for a purpose.
So don’t sit on the shelf.
Look around you today. Ask God to show you one person you can serve with what He has already given you. Then step forward and do it.
You are not serving to prove that you are valuable. You are serving because Christ has already given you a priceless identity. You are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Reflect: Where have I become more of a consumer than a contributor? Who can I serve this week with what God has already given me?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the grace You have given me through Jesus. Thank You for making me alive in Christ and making me Your workmanship. Forgive me for the times I have focused more on what I can receive than on how I can serve. Open my eyes to the needs of people around me. Show me how I can use the gifts, time, abilities, and opportunities You have given me to serve others. Keep me rooted in Your grace and make my life a reflection of Your love. Amen.