Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10, NIV

 

Many believers think they have little to offer the Lord. When they look at their own lives, they see more brokenness than usefulness: weaknesses, failures, and limited abilities. For many, the thought arises: What can God really do with me?

 

But the gospel shows us a different perspective. The Lord does not call only a few special people to serve him. He gives every believer gifts of grace – gifts given by his grace, not something we earn or deserve.

 

Peter says clearly: “Each one” has received a gift. Not only pastors, elders, or people with exceptional talents. Every child of God has received a gift that He wants to use to serve others.

 

These gifts can look very different. For some, it is the gift of teaching or leading. For others, it is the ability to encourage, to show hospitality, to help in practical ways, to listen, or to pray. Some gifts are seen on a stage; others happen quietly behind the scenes. But each one is precious in God’s kingdom.

 

What is especially comforting is that God does not wait until we are perfect before he uses us. He uses ordinary people with broken lives. Think of the disciples: people with weaknesses, doubts, and mistakes – and yet God used them to spread the gospel throughout the world.

 

This means the Lord can also use my life, even with all my brokenness. My hands may be broken, but entrusted into his hands they can still serve. The gifts he gives are not meant to make us look important, but to bless others and make his grace visible.

 

Peter therefore calls us “stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” God’s grace has many colours and forms, and he shows it through his people. Every time a believer uses his/her gift to serve someone else, something of God’s grace becomes visible.

 

Gratitude for gifts of grace therefore means that I do not keep my gifts to myself. I bring them to the Lord and say, “Lord, use me.” Because even broken hands can become a great blessing in his service.

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you that you have given me gifts of grace to serve you and others. Thank you that you can work in and through me, even with my brokenness. Help me to use my gifts with humility and love, so that your grace may become visible through my life. Amen.