God Empowers You to Live and Lead for the Good of Others

Scripture — 1 Peter 4:8-11 (NRSV)

Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Devotion

For the past several weeks, we have been looking to Scripture for guidance on how to live and lead for the good of others. Today, we wrap up this series of devotions by examining a striking passage from the first letter of Peter. I’d like to focus on four phrases from this passage, ones that will help us in our effort to live and lead for the good of others.

1 Peter 4:10 says, “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” The directive to “serve one another” is another way to talk about seeking someone’s good. According to this verse, we do this, not in our own strength, but as “stewards of the manifold grace of God.” In other words, it is God’s grace at work in us that enables us to serve one another. This idea is reinforced in the final phrase of verse 10. God gives us gifts of grace, which we are able and encouraged to pass on to others. We are stewards of grace, not the owners. We are channels of grace, not the sources.

So, if you want to grow in your ability to live and lead for the good of others, be open to God’s work in and through you. Ask for God’s help. Pay attention to God’s guidance. Know that you are not on your own, but that God will provide what you need to serve others well.

The next phrase in 1 Peter 4 offers an illustration of how this works in practice: “Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God” (4:11). Of course, this instruction doesn’t mean we should talk as if we are God, revealing the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. We should be reticent when it comes to beginning our counsel with “Thus saith the Lord.” Peter’s point is that God will help us find the words to speak to others in order to serve them. When we want to encourage someone but don’t know quite what to say, God will help. When we want to offer comfort, God will assist with that too. God will inspire our verbal efforts to seek the good of others if we are open, seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit.

The next phrase is 1 Peter makes a similar point, now addressing more than just speaking: “whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies” (4:11). As we seek to serve others, once again, we’re not on our own. God will guide us so that we might serve where there is a need. God will empower us for acts of service. God will help us serve when we’re not sure we have the ability to do what’s required.

I experienced this in a powerful way many years ago, when I was an associate pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. I believe I’ve told this story before in Life for Leaders, but it’s worth repeating.

One day, looking out the window of my office, I saw a frail older woman named Margaret fall against a brick wall. Getting up and running to her, I noticed that her arm was bleeding profusely because much of her skin had been torn away from her arm. I immediately felt both terrified and quite faint. At that time, I was repulsed by the sight of blood, not to mention the insides of someone’s arm. But I desperately wanted to help Margaret. So, I prayed quickly, quietly, and earnestly: “Lord, I need your power right now! Please give me the strength to help Margaret.” In that moment, I felt a deep sense of peace. My fear and repulsion were gone. In their place, I felt confidence and compassion. I reached out to Margaret, lifting her off the ground and almost carrying her into my office. (She was a tiny woman; thanks be to God.) I found some towels to help stop the bleeding and then called some coworkers to assist me. We took Margaret to the hospital, where she was cared for by professionals who started helping her arm heal. Eventually, her arm fully recovered.

After I got back to work, I thought about what had happened. I was blown away by God’s grace at work in me, helping me overcome one of my greatest fears and horrors. My gratitude overflowed. And, interestingly enough, that experience actually changed the way I felt about physical injuries. Since that time, I’m still able to be calm and compassionate when dealing with serious injuries. I take no credit for this. It’s God’s work in me. God changed my heart that day when I was with Margaret.

That brings us to the last phrase I want to focus on with you today. Peter writes, “whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ” (4:11). Yes, yes. That’s it. Because I was able to serve Margaret with the strength God supplied, I gave God all the glory. And God continues to be glorified when I tell this story to others, to people like you. I hope you finish this devotion realizing just how great God is and how worthy of glory.

So, my friends, it is right for us to live and lead for the good of others. That is something we are called to do as followers of Jesus. But, as is always the case, when God asks something of us, God also supplies what we need to do it. In our fallen nature, we are wired to seek the good of ourselves and, perhaps, of those who are closest to us. But God’s grace at work in us enables us to be stewards of God’s grace for others, even others we do not know (like the injured many in the parable of the Good Samaritan).

Notice that when Peter speaks of this grace, he refers to “the manifold grace of God.” The Greek word translated here as “manifold” is poikilos. It literally means “many-colored, spotted, or dappled.” In fact, it’s the word used in the Greek translation of Genesis 37:23 to describe Joseph’s coat, you know, “the coat of many colors.” How many colors, you ask? According to the musical, Joseph and Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, it was: “red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple and white and pink and orange and blue.”

Now, whether this accurately describes Joseph’s coat or not is beside the point I’m trying to make. That point is that God’s grace is “manifold,” that is, multi-colored. It comes in more varieties than we can count. When you have the opportunity to serve someone, no matter the kind of service required, God’s grace is there to help. When you seek the good of another person, God will help you do so. And even when you’re not sure you can do what’s best for others, God at work in you has that ability. Plus, when God works in you for the good of others, God’s purposes are fulfilled, and God receives the glory. When this happens, you experience the joy of experiencing God’s grace at work in you as God, through you, blesses another person.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Suffering Under the World’s Authorities (1 Peter 2:13–4:19).