Be a Good Minister of Grace
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, KJV)
Peter urges believers to be good stewards of God’s manifold grace. What does this mean?
Ministry in the New Testament is serving people using the abilities and gifts God bestows on us. So this is the divine pattern: God pours into us and commands us to pour out into others. He pours rivers of living waters into our bellies and expects those rivers to flow out and give drink to those around us!
In God’s mind, as clearly revealed in 1 Peter 4:10, every believer in the New Testament is a minister of grace—everyone in Christ has received gifts from God. And as ministers, God commands us to be good stewards of what He has given to us. Stewards faithfully manage the assets of others in accordance with their owner’s wishes and goals. For instance, a believer gifted with the prophetic grace should serve God’s wishes, not their own.
Ministers minister the manifold grace of God. We minister grace by speaking or acting in such a way that builds, encourages, or strengthens others; we do so through the gifts or the fruit of the Spirit.
In Ephesians 4:29 Paul says “let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV). So we can minister grace by speaking to people in a way that encourages, energizes, and edifies them instead of tearing them down.
Be a good steward of God’s manifold grace.
MEDITATE
What is the effect of your life or ministry on the people who interact with you?
APPLY THE WORD
Lead people to experience God’s multi-facet grace by using the gifts God has given you or living the life He has called you unto.
PRAY
Ask the Spirit to help you be a good minister to bring people to experience God’s grace through your life or ministry.
Recommended
- Ministry and Ministers in the New Testament
- Who is a Minister?
- How Do Rivers of Living Waters Flow Out of Your Belly?
- What is a Devotional?
- View All Deshen Daily Devotionals
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Like Grace, I was reading Ephesians 4:29 when the same phrase called out to me to ‘perceive’ . Like Moses when he came upon the burning bush, I turned aside to see. Your writing seemed like the apt choice and I recognized the leading of the Holy Spirit when I read it.
Last evening as several members of my church and I weeded the gardens and conversed. A few of the conversations seemed ‘loud’, ‘angry’ even ‘depressing’. What with prices rising after Covid, the many deaths that surround us, and just the very standard of living changing for many families, many of the women are seemingly losing their ‘grace’. Some of the conversations didn’t sit so well in my spirit and I did not address it, but kept quiet.
Now after reading this, I’m not so sure I did the right thing because I did not want to seem harsh and overly religious. Could I have changed the context of those conversations and ministered grace?
Hello Jonacé! Thank you for visiting and sharing that experience with us. You are correct, sometimes the answer is silence! I would rather say nothing rather than say something that will not encourage or edify the people hearing me in that setting. A good word, like Solomon says, is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. It truly ministers grace to the hearers—encouragement, inspiration, hope. However,when that good word is not there, meaning the Lord did not put anything in your heart for them, it is better to keep quiet as you did. There is hardly any right or wrong answer in such cases. It clearly depends on the specific context. May the Lord increase His grace in your life and cause you to be an oasis to give water in the dry and dark world around!
Ministry of Grace
Hello Dr. Oben,
As I was reading Ephesians 4:29, the phrase “minister grace” jumped out to me. It seemed to register in my heart and there was a connection. I ended up doing a Google search on this topic and your article was one of the listings that came up. After reading your article, I realized that God has been using me in the “ministry of grace” for many years, and I didn’t see it as a “ministry”! It is something that comes natural to me! And guess what? My first name is “Grace”!
Thank you for this excellent article and also your website that I have just discovered contains many rich and thorough teachings on the Word of God and living a victorious Christian life. I can see that I will be digging into your articles for insight and revelation.
Thank you and God bless,
Grace H.
Hello Grace. Thank you for visiting and sharing your fascinating story with me. Our God works in wonderful ways indeed, and surely guided your name from birth! Pleased to know the Lord used the articles here to encourage you. Certainly, please visit and dig into the Word as needed and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions. Thank you.