MANIFOLD GRACE. 1st Peter 4:10 It is God’s intention that every believer use their God-given gifts as “good stewards” of the “manifold,” multicolored or variegated grace of God. As a steward of grace, I see many facets of grace stand out as I consider God. With divine intent, God has given much to me. Pre-conversion sanctification, a heritage of generations of forebears who experienced God’s grace and passed it on – unknown perhaps. But now, looking at a family tree, I see that God saved many in the past, and now that same grace is extended to me.
A commitment to truth, to the Bible, to grace, was passed on to me. Now here, in this place, as a steward of what was ministered to me, God gives grace to live daily with dignity and honor. As a representative of heaven, of a kingdom, and a King, He gives grace that sustains in dark times and in good. Grace from God’s storehouse is given to me to pass on to others the Gospel of God’s grace, full and complete. Every spiritual need of sinners is met in the Gospel. Unfolding to others through clay vessels, human channels telling of mercy and free grace. Fulfilling a commission, a calling from above, to pass on truth, to minister grace to hearers, to open eyes to divine light, to give hope, to tell of grace and peace, to save the lost.
Through God’s many ways of showing His grace, He gives gifts to every believer to help others and to build up the kingdom of God. Every believer is gifted to serve others in the Lord’s name. Stewards are managers entrusted with something valuable to use in the best interests of the one who gives it. The abilities (gifts) God has given are not to be used solely for our exclusive enjoyment, but to display God’s glory through as many ways and people as possible. His “manifold grace” benefits others through His chosen stewards. God’s people are stewards of grace.
The gifts the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit give are each a “grace” to be employed, along with natural gifts (talents), to meet the needs of others. The combination is to be used mutually in the local assembly and in the body of Christ, combining with other gifts to accomplish what gifts, taken individually, could not. Each believer is a channel of God’s grace to bless people.
When we consider how many believers there are in the world at any given time, and that each has been gifted by God’s grace to fulfill a role in the body, we have to stop and marvel at the magnificent grace of God. A problem arises when a believer does not use the gift they have been given. In this paragraph, “the gift” refers to showing fervent love through hospitality. Stewards are integral to the ongoing testimony to the world of God’s grace. Serving with grace so that needs may be fully met displays God’s glory. The goal of service is that God’s glory will be accomplished through Jesus Christ because of His love and service to us.