GOD-GLORIFYING IMPACT (3)

“...If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY be GLORIFIED through Jesus Christ” – 1 Peter 4:11

The Life of GOD-GLORIFYING IMPACT is all-inclusive: “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY be GLORIFIED through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Pet.4:11). God wants to be glorified in our speech, in our acts of ministry, and indeed, IN ALL THINGS. However, such a life is never be accomplished in the power of the flesh, but through the ability that God Himself supplies.

Peter was writing mainly about serving God committedly in the Last Days, producing lives that count for something lasting and worthwhile. He wrote to encourage the Christians in Rome facing persecution under Nero, exhorting them to live, keeping the end in mind so that God will be glorified in all that they did. Likewise, we can live for God and make our lives count when we cultivate three vital attributes:

Being disciplined in thought-life and prayerful: “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers (v.7). Everything proceeds from our minds (Pro.23:7). Therefore, we must guard our minds from distractions and temptations, filling them with God’s thoughts. Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” The devil’s first strategy is to attack our minds. So, we must be alert, keep watch over our minds, and be clear-minded at all times. Romans 12:2 says to not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but “transformed by the renewing” of our minds.

Fervent Love: “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins” (v.8). After strengthening our relationship with the Lord, the next concern is to love our neighbours as ourselves: sincerely, fervently with a pure heart (1Pet.1:22). Such sacrificial love for one another crosses barriers of human emotion: loving the unlovable; loving our enemies; loving those who have not treated us kindly; loving when it doesn’t seem rational or reasonable; loving to the point of sacrifice; and forgiving endlessly (1Cor.13: 4-8).

Serving Others: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (v.10). We maintain a holy relationship with God, that enables us to love others, which in turn makes us to serve others with our gifts. Everybody has gifts; but we’re each responsible for faithfully using whatever gifts God has given to serve others (Eph.4:7).

The God-glorifying Life in summed up in: pursuing holiness with God by keeping our minds clear to produce holy thinking and lifestyle which enable us to have concentrated communion with God in prayer; pursuing love for others; and sacrificially serving others.