God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (1 Peter 4:10 NLT)
In Greek, the root word for “gift” is grace. We all have received a grace gift from God and we are to employ that gift graciously.
My gift is not for showing off but for building up—“to serve one another.”
My gift is not for my benefit but to benefit others—“so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (v. 11 NIV).
My gift is given to me so that I may help others see Jesus and praise God. If people only see my gift—and nothing more—I am misusing my gift and I am robbing God of His glory.
To HIM be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:11 NIV)
Father, thank You for the grace gift You have given me. Holy Spirit, help me graciously steward this gift to serve others so that they can better glorify God.
Comedian Brian Regan has a great bit about the “Me Monster.” Don’t be that person! John Maxwell wrote, “The problem is that interrupting translates to ‘What I want to say is more important than what you are saying.’” We probably can all do better at this.
“To bear the burdens of others we need to be careful to maintain an attitude of humility, coupled with a readiness to serve, according to the gifts and opportunities God gives us at any time (Romans 12:3-8). Even if it’s true that our fellow believers are acting like children, or like people who just need to ‘grow up’ in their faith, our responsibility is to humble ourselves and be ready to show them the love of Jesus however we may (Romans 14:1-18).” —T.M. Moore
“A cosmos one day being rebuked by a pessimist replied, ‘How can you who revile me consent to speak by my machinery? Permit me to reduce you to nothingness and then we will discuss the matter.’ Moral: You should not look a gift universe in the mouth.” —G.K. Chesterton [see Job 38:1-4]
“Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right.” —Fulton Sheen
This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.
Active Love
True love next shows itself in obedience. … ‘Tis love that makes our willing feet in swift obedience move.’ We can do anything for those we love, and if we love Jesus, no burden will be heavy, no difficulty will be great. We should rather wish to do more than He asks of us and only desire that He was a little more exacting that we might have a better opportunity of showing forth our affection. …
The apostle says, ‘Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth’ (1 John 3:18). Actions speak louder than words, and we will always be anxious to tell our love in deeds as well as by our lips. The true disciple asks continually, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ (Acts 9:6). He esteems it his highest honor to serve the Lord. …
I believe in an active love that has hands to labor and feet to run as well as a heart to feel, eyes to glance, and ears to listen.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple or Spotify.
In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis writes, “Suffering is not good in itself. What is good in any painful experience is, for the sufferer, her submission to the will of God, and, for the spectators, the compassion aroused and the acts of mercy to which it leads.” This sentiment was never more fully displayed than in the lives of the ten Boom family. Corrie ten Boom relates her story in The Hiding Place.
The ten Boom family had lived in Holland for a couple of generations at the time the Germans occupied their country during World War II. Immediately, their family home and watch repair shop became a hub for underground resistance activity. But the start of this war was not the start of their compassionate activity in their city. The ten Booms lived out their Christian faith in tangible, compassionate ways every single day, and their neighbors reaped the benefits.
The entire ten Boom family was actively involved in the efforts to protect at-risk people during the Nazi oppression of their country, including the elderly and sick, their Jewish neighbors, the mentally disabled, and the young men that were being pressed into duties to support the German war effort. As The Hiding Place progresses, the story begins to zoom-in on two sisters: Betsie and Corrie, especially their activities inside the German prisons and concentration camps in which they were imprisoned.
The miracles that God performed for these women are too many to recount here, but it seems like hardly a page in the story passes before another miracle is seen. These Christian women took full advantage of each miracle and used them to continue to bring light and love into one of the most dark and hateful times in human history. Even after the war has ended and Corrie has returned to her Holland home, the ministry of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation continued unabated through her tirelessly loving activities.
The Hiding Place is truly a heroic tale! I highly recommend parents and grandparents reading it aloud to their children and grandchildren. May all Christians follow the example of the ten Boom family in finding ways to daily share the love of Jesus to their neighbors-in-need.
And David knew the Lord has established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel. (1 Chronicles 14:2)
“David knew” reminds me of “Jesus knew” in John 13:3.
Both knew God had placed them exactly where they were supposed to be.
Both knew the authority God had given them.
Both knew the power that was theirs to use.
Both knew they could do self-glorifying, self-promoting things with their power. Yet both used their authority and power to serve others: “for the sake of His people.”
When I look up “prosper” in the dictionary, the first entry says, “to be successful or fortunate, especially in financial respects.” This isn’t even close to the Old Testament Hebrew word for prosper!
God makes prosper a dependence on Him. Mammon makes prosper a dependence on self.
The Hebrew word tsalach means:
to overcome obstacles (like crossing a river)
to be empowered by the Spirit of God to overcome an enemy (like Samson did)
to flourish like a plant growing to full harvest
to have favor with man so that good can be done for others (Nehemiah 1:11)
to be poured out; to be a conduit of God’s blessings to others
Prosperity God’s way is being blessed to bea blessing to others.
Prosperity is never for me, only from God through me.
Prosperity from God helps me overcome obstacles for others, defeat enemies for others, bring in a good harvest for others, have earthly favor that will benefit others, finish well for the sake of others.
I’ll say it again: True prosperity ISN’T for me, it’s only from God through me!
Hezekiah showed how God’s prosperity came through him to benefit others:
he did “what was good and right and faithful before the Lord”
he lived “in obedience to the law and the commands”
“he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly”
In light of this definition, I have no problem praying, “God, make me prosperous. As I seek You and work wholeheartedly, flow through me to bless others!”
Craig T. Owens 
Think On This…
September 11, 2020 — Craig T. OwensMy t-shirt from To Write Love On Her Arms that says, “You make today better.”
Think on this: Am I being intentional about making other people’s today better? Am I expressing my gratitude to those who are making my today better?
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