“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” I Peter 4:10
Peter says that each one has received a gift. The word in the original Greek language for “gift” is charisma, meaning, “a gift of grace.” A gift is something that someone gives to us; we didn’t give it to ourselves. The gift God has given is to be used to minister to someone else, not just to benefit our own lives. God’s purpose for giving gifts to each one is to function together as a whole. Think about this, God designed our physical bodies with several organs, and those organs are all working together to keep us alive and functioning. The body of Christ is the same way. He gave gifts, to operate and work together as a body full of the life and spirit of God.
The word charisma is derived from the root char, meaning “joy, cheerfulness, delight.” When God gives us gifts, He gives them with joy. He gives them liberally, with no regret or restriction. God wants us to behave the same way with the gifts He gives us – with freedom, generosity, and happiness. Serving others, inside and outside of our church, should be a delight. Serving cheerfully and liberally is the way God operates, and it’s the way we were created to function.
Since these gifts have been received from God, not earned on our own, we can also look to God for His help to administrate these gifts. I Peter 4:11 says, “…If anyone ministers (serves), let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.” These gifts were given by the grace of God and are empowered by the grace of God. The grace of God is God’s ability to do more than we could ever do on our own. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we could ever ask, think, or imagine. We just need to yield our gift to Him, and then do what He instructs us to do.
Manifold means various or many different kinds. The grace God gives includes a variety of gifts, showing some similarities yet each one is different from the other. Think about how not one human being shares the exact same fingerprint. In His Church, every person carries a unique gift and expression of that gift that makes that person special to the Father and to the kingdom. You are needed. You are valued. You are wanted. Without you, someone is missing and something is missing. God has chosen to work together with us. It’s our faith in action and God’s grace in motion that produce results. Just remember to lean on Him.
Application: If you are functioning in your gifts, trust God to continue to develop those gifts. If you are not operating in your gifts, start! You might be surprised at how quickly they begin to come to life!