—————
(1 Peter 4:11a GW)
(1 Peter 4:11a ESV)
Honor, vision, mission, sense of purpose – Glory to God!
That’s what this text is saying – Glory to God in our service to him.
How do I speak “as one who speaks oracles of God” except that I have a sense of vision and purpose as to what it means to be a servant of Christ and an instrument in the hands of Almighty God.
This statement gives us no call at all to self-importance but to God’s glory and our extreme obligation to honor him in every service and work he lays in our hands.
We bow down. We embrace our calling as ministers and servants of the Most High God. And then we serve.
if anyone has the desire to be the servant of others,
let him do it in the strength which is given by God. . .
(1 Peter 4:11 BBE)
So if I am called to speak, let it be the words of God.
Do you see how thrilling this is? I can actually do this. You can. Anybody who is willing to bow before the throne and accept her or his calling can allow these hand-crafted works or our Redeemer to flow through their lives like a great rushing Wind.
So if I receive a work order from the King, then I carry it out as his servant, his steward, his minister, the person he has chosen for a specific task on the planet at this point in time.
let him do it in the strength which is given by God;
so that in all things God may have the glory through Jesus Christ,
whose are the glory and the power for ever.
(1 Peter 4:11b BBE)
If I have a vision for the work of God, then I can do the things he trusts me with in his strength, and even as I just now write that, I take a big gulp of mercy and grace and my heart is filled with gratitude that I can actually be a part of what God is doing in his redemption plan.
Thank you, Father!
That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus,
and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything
– encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
(1 Peter 4:11 MSG)
