May · Day 25
Good stewards of manifold grace
Reading
Practical meditation
Peter calls us to serve one another according to the gift received, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. A gift is not a medal for display; it is responsibility for building up.
The natural soul turns gifts into identity, comparison, or showcase. But grace received must circulate. What God entrusted to us does not end in us; it passes through us to reach the body.
Serving by the strength of God is different from performing out of the need for recognition. The gift becomes pure when Christ is the source, the brothers and sisters are the aim, and God receives the glory.
Examine
Have I used what I received to build up the brothers and sisters, or to feed comparison, control, or recognition?
Prayer
Lord, purify the use of the gifts I have received. Deliver me from display, comparison, and the desire for control. Make your grace in me a supply for the brothers and sisters and an expression of Christ in the body. Amen.
Practice
Let us use one concrete ability today to build someone up, without demanding recognition.