Peter the
apostle told the Christians who were “scattered” that they
should be “hospitable” to one another as they showed
“fervent charity” or love. They were to understand “the
end of all things is at hand”, and in chapter four and verse
ten of his letter, Peter told the Christians to “minister the
gift to one another” where we read:
As every
man has received the gift, even so
minister the same one to another,
as good
stewards of the manifold grace of God.
The
verse begins, “As every man has
received the gift, even so
minister the same one to another,...” Paul
began with the word “As”
which means “according as, when, according to, how and as well as”
“every man”
which means “each and every man, woman or one” “has
received”
or “taken with the hand, laid hold of, carried and made one's own”
“the gift”
which is the Greek word “charisma” and refers to “favor
with which one receives without any merit of his own and gratuity”
“even so
minister”
which means “serve, attend and wait upon” “the
same” or
“themselves” “one to another”
which refers to “towards, for and among each other”.
The
verse continues, “... as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God.” Paul added, “as
good” or “beautiful,
handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful,
suitable, commendable and admirable”
“stewards” which
means “managers, superintendents and overseers” “of
the manifold” or “various,
diverse and variegated” “grace”
which means “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness,
charm, loveliness and unmerited favor” “of God”
which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Christians
were to be “good” managers
of the abundant “grace of God”.
When
we think through these words of Peter, we understand that each person
must first of all, “receive the gift”
which God has offered. Without “the gift's”
receipt, there will be no “stewardship”
thereof. As the Christians were “hospitable”
to one another, they would manifest the “love” Jesus Christ
showed unto them. May we too be “good stewards”
of “the gift”
which God Almighty has offered through His Son, and may we learn to
be obedient unto His commands as we see them given through Peter.
Next
time Peter tells the Christians to “speak as the Oracles
of God”, so read ahead, and we
shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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