As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
— 1 Peter 4:10

Every person has been bestowed with grace-given gifts that were not earned, but rather divinely imparted by God’s grace. This is a biblical truth, whether or not we realize it or even want to agree with it. These are not gifts bestowed for the purpose of boasting — they are given and released and activated to reveal God to man. And you have these powerful gifts inside you, just waiting for you to take ownership of them and use them!

In 1 Peter 4:10, Peter wrote, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Today I want to look at that word “stewards” as it pertains to the grace of God and these “grace gifts” that we have received from Him.

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The word “stewards” in 1 Peter 4:10 is from the Greek word oikonomos, which is a compound of the words oikos and nomos. The word oikos is the Greek word for a house, and nomos refers to the rule of law. These two words used together literally mean the rule of the house. But in Greek culture, the word oikonomos was specifically used to describe the household manager of a wealthy, upper-class home. This oikonomos, or household manager, was responsible for keeping law and order in the house. The owners of the house had found this person faithful and therefore elevated him to the powerful ruling position of chief manager over their personal property and private affairs.

In Greek culture, this chief manager was accountable for overseeing the house itself, the gardens surrounding the house, the contents inside the home, and the assets and treasures of the family. He was also in charge of distributing wages faithfully and on time to the other servants and employees who worked in the house. For the master of the house to give this much responsibility to one person was a great trust, and the master demanded that his household manager faithfully perform according to his expectations.

By using the word oikonomos in this verse, Peter profoundly declared that when God placed His grace-given gifts inside each of us, He was making us the stewards of His own personal treasures. Because of this, He expects us to be faithful managers of the gifts He has entrusted to our care. We are to use our gifts as God intended when He bequeathed them to us. In other words, He expects us to use our gifts faithfully and on time to meet the needs of those around us and to do it in such a way that He receives all the glory.

Taking all the Greek words into consideration that are contained in this verse, 1 Peter 4:10 carries the idea that every single one of us, without exception, has received grace-given gifts from God. We must embrace what God has placed inside us, taking ownership of it and doing our best to use our gifts to meet the needs of others. God has entrusted us with great spiritual treasure by placing these special gifts in our lives, and He is depending on us to be faithful with this weighty responsibility.

If you’ve believed and acted like so many others, just sitting around waiting for the perfect moment when you could begin using your God-given talents — now you know that you’ve been using the wrong approach! It’s time for you to recognize what God has placed inside you and to begin using those gifts as God expects you to do. You’ve been waiting on God to do something special, but He already did it when He placed those gifts in your life. It’s up to you to start releasing them now for the benefit of those around you!

I can tell you this from my own personal experience and from my experience with others over the course of my ministry: Those who wait for some fantasy-like moment to occur so they can step out and use their gifts usually end up very frustrated. They wait and wait — seemingly endlessly — when God, who gave the gifts, has already given them permission to use those talents for Him. In fact, He has commanded them as stewards of His grace to get about the task of managing those grace-gifts and using them to meet the needs of others.

So I encourage you, if you’ve been waiting on a special moment to step out and use your grace-gifts for God — don’t waste any more time! The Holy Spirit within you has already enabled and empowered you, so start making the most of your divine equipment that’s just waiting to be released!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, I am so thankful that You have placed grace-given gifts inside of me. I understand that You have made me the steward of these divine treasures. You expect me to faithfully manage these gifts that You have entrusted to my care. Father, I ask You to teach me how to use these gifts as You intended so I can meet the needs of those around me and do it in a way that gives all the glory to Jesus. Give me a pure and understanding heart so I can exercise these gifts wisely and with great responsibility!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I confess that God has given me gifts of His grace that are powerful and have the ability to make a difference in the lives of other people. God expects me to do something with these gifts, for He gave them to me for the purpose of building His Kingdom. I refuse to let another day pass without allowing these grace-given gifts to be expressed through me. This divine equipment has been given to me in order to help others, so I will not sit by idly while others are in need! God will move through me and use this supernatural equipment, not only to meet people’s needs, but also to help them come through their situations with victory.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Are you aware of the grace-given gifts God has placed in your life? If so, what are those gifts? Can you identify them? What are you doing to cultivate them?
2. How do you allow those gifts to operate? Can you give a personal testimony of what happens when this divine equipment operates in you and how it affects other people? How has God used these in your life to make a difference in someone else’s life?
3. Is it possible that there are grace gifts in you that you have never allowed to manifest because you’ve been afraid to step out in faith? What is stopping you from letting these marvelous treasures do what God intended for them to do?