Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Peter 4
8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 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.
8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 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.
Commentary:
4:8–9 Enduring love for others testifies that a person is living in light of the future. True love covers a multitude of other people’s sins (Prov. 10:12). Where love abounds, offenses are frequently overlooked and quickly forgotten. Hospitality, much admired in both Greco-Roman and Jewish sources (cf. 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8), was much needed in an era when inns could be dangerous and unpleasant.
4:10 All believers have received at least one spiritual gift from God, and they are not to hoard these gifts but use them faithfully as stewards of God’s grace (cf. 1 Corinthians 12–14).
4:11 whoever speaks … whoever serves. Peter divides spiritual gifts generally into speaking and serving gifts (for more detailed lists, see Rom. 12:6–8; 1 Cor. 12:8–10, 28–30; and Eph. 4:11). Those who speak must not propound their own ideas but faithfully declare God’s words (oracles). Similarly, those who serve must not depend on their own strength but draw their strength from God, so that God alone may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2412.
4:10 All believers have received at least one spiritual gift from God, and they are not to hoard these gifts but use them faithfully as stewards of God’s grace (cf. 1 Corinthians 12–14).
4:11 whoever speaks … whoever serves. Peter divides spiritual gifts generally into speaking and serving gifts (for more detailed lists, see Rom. 12:6–8; 1 Cor. 12:8–10, 28–30; and Eph. 4:11). Those who speak must not propound their own ideas but faithfully declare God’s words (oracles). Similarly, those who serve must not depend on their own strength but draw their strength from God, so that God alone may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2412.
Questions:
- Clayton spent some time talking about spiritual gifts. When we commit our lives to Christ, we get the Spirit of God as a deposit. He now resides in us! This should result in some differences in our thoughts, attitudes and actions. What are some areas of your life where you noticed differences immediately after you committed your life to Christ? What are some evidences that the Holy Spirit lives in you?
- Every believer should be so connected to each other in a church community that we can begin to identify and affirm each other's gifts and begin using them. Look through the list of spiritual gifts and their explanations. What gifts do you think God might have given you? Take some time to ask people that know you well to either affirm these gifts or challenge them. How can you begin to do this in community with others?
- Apostleship: The ability start new works, church plant, pastor pastors in a movement or minister cross-culturally as a missionary.
- Teaching: The ability to understand and communicate Biblical truth in a clear, relevant and engaging manner so that there is understanding and application.
- Pastor/Shepherd: The ability to care for, counsel and build up Christians in their faith and take responsibility for their long term spiritual welfare.
- Service/Helps: The ability to joyfully work alongside other people to help them complete tasks behind the scenes.
- Hospitality: The ability to joyfully host people in your home, feed people or organize parties so that people get to enjoy each others company.
- Encouragement: The ability to motivate, encourage and console others so that they mature in their walk with Christ.
- Giving: The ability to joyfully share, give away and steward money, time and resources in order to meet the needs of a person, mission or organization.
- Leadership: The ability to have a clear and compelling vision and articulate that vision so that others are compelled to follow you.
- Administration: The ability to organize, give direction and make decisions for efficient operation and accomplishment of goals.
- Mercy: The ability to have unusual compassion and empathy for people that are hurting, suffering or done wrong and offer assistance or relationship.
- Discernment: The ability to quickly perceive whether people, things, ideas or events are from God or satan.
- Wisdom: Supernatural or practical insight in to people and situations that is not obvious to the average person that is combined with an understanding of what the Bible says to do and how to do it.
- Knowledge: Supernatural knowledge of a situation or the practical ability to research, remember and make effective use of a variety of information on a number of diverse subjects.
- Evangelist: The ability to speak clearly, passionately and effectively to non-Christians about Jesus.
- Faith: The ability to envision what needs to be done and to trust God to accomplish it even though it seems impossible to most people.
- Intercession: The ability to pray for extended periods of time on a regular basis and see frequent and specific answers to their prayers.
- Miracles: The gift of miracles is the frequent and specific working of divine power in which God’s power is manifested in an evident way to further God’s purposes in a situation.
- Healing: Those with gifts of healing will be those people who find that their prayers for healing are answered more frequently and more thoroughly than others.
- Distinguishing Between Spirits: The special ability to recognize the influence of the Holy Spirit or of demonic spirits in a person and identify spiritual warfare.
- Tongues/Interpretation of Tongues: Speaking in tongues is public or private prayer or praise spoken in syllables not understood by the speaker. Interpretation of tongues is the ability to report to the church the general meaning of something spoken in tongues in a public gathering of the church.
Pray:
- That you would let the Spirit guide you daily.
- That God would reveal to you your spiritual gifts, and that you would seek for opportunities to use and grow in them.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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