Good Life Journal – 1 Peter 4

Scripture:

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Observation:

Peter is chatting throughout this chapter about suffering. These people, this audience was suffering and needing to be taught how to do it, why it was happening, etc. And yet in the middle of this, Peter encourages them with this verse above. Even in suffering, Peter is calling them to share life and to be hospitable and serve each other within this local body, this local church.

Application:

That is a huge takeaway for me and I would imagine for our church body at large. It is so easy to want to share life, or to make time to share life when it is convenient. 

“Ok, this week our schedule is pretty free, so let’s spend time serving or sharing…”

But I would imagine that in the midst of suffering it isn’t all too convenient to share with others, or to show hospitality.

But what would it look like as a body if we lived this as a reality? We serve one another with the gifts God has given us because we couldn’t help it. What if it was our joy? What if, by God’s grace, it was just what we did and who we are? What if it was our only hope?

Peter is encouraging us to see that living this way, sharing life is not a “when you can” sort of a thing, it is the very fabric of what it means to be a believer in the local body. I hope to live this out together and by God’s grace we will.

Prayer:

I pray for my own heart when it wants to slam my front door when I get home and forget about the world outside of it, when I want to “turn off” the gospel in my mind & heart and just veg. That isn’t the gospel, it isn’t even the best thing for me. You are better. Loving others & sharing life is better. I pray that we would fall in love with this & get it as a body. Do this work in us Lord.