“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:8-11)

We are saved by God’s grace. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8-9) We serve because of God’s grace. “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10) Our salvation from God and our service to God are both gifts from God. The only way we have hope of eternal life is because God gave us the gift of Jesus Christ. Our gift of Jesus showed us the love of God through His death in our place for our sin. Our gift also showed us God’s power to change our lives as Jesus rose from the dead. He made it possible for us to now have eternal life and the ability to serve our Heavenly Father. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Our service begins as we follow Jesus’ command and love each other. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Jesus came to us as a servant, that He may serve His Father and bring God’s creation in His image back to Him, taking their death in order for life to be offered.

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)

The productivity of Jesus’ servanthood brought hope and new life to mankind who, because of sin, was destined to eternal separation from God. Now, through Jesus, eternal and abundant life is offered. When we come to Jesus by faith, we receive God’s grace which gives us forgiveness and new life. It also makes it possible for us to be usable in God’s hands as we follow Jesus as we serve our Heavenly Father and use our gift to serve others.

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block