the end of all things is near part 2

By Rebecca Vickery

​The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may
pray. 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. 1Peter4:7-11

Last month in part 1 of The End of All Things is Near, we talked about being
soberminded to pray, about loving deeply, and offering hospitality without grumbling.
Regardless of how far away the glorious return of Jesus is or isn’t, one thing is certain.
We are closer to the end of things now than the disciples were when they were warning
about it. As such, we continue with the admonition to use whatever gift you have
received to serve others. We need to steward God’s grace in its various forms.
How delightful to think that there is grace in various forms and that we should the be the
delivery mechanism for that grace. What gifts have you received from God? Do you
know? If you don’t know, have you asked some of your close Christian brothers or
sisters? What am I gifted in? Once you know the answer to that, how are you using
your gifts to serve your friends? Your neighbors? How are you serving in the body of
believers?

I believe that part of the mathematics of God is that we give and we serve, and he
multiplies our gifts and our impact. I think the more we serve, the more he gives us to
increase our giftings. Our gifts don’t exhaust us (although saying yes to too many
things can do that.) We want to use our yeses to say yes to the best thing. If we say
yes to everything, we don’t have the capacity to use our gifts well.
Peter goes on to give examples of some of the gifts and the ways in which they may be
used. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.
What a high calling to which to aspire. Matthew 12:36 says that we will have to give an
account for every idle word we speak. I don’t know about you, but as an extrovert (and
an external processor) I found that verse somewhat terrifying. Nevertheless, it is good
for me to be reminded of (and maybe often.) I need to be thinking through what I say
and asking the Holy Spirit to speak through me. Maybe I won’t always get it right, but
thankfully, there is grace enough for that. It is my hearts desire that I should glorify God
with my words.

Words are very important to me, but they are even more important to God. 1 Peter
1:24-25a says, “All men(people) are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the
field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands for ever.”
And Isaiah 55:10-11 says As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do

not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields
seed for the sower and bread for the eater,   so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the
purpose for which I sent it. What these verses all suggest to me is this: God’s words
will accomplish more than mine could possibly, and his word is eternal. So when we
speak, the more we speak the word of God in love and in deed, the more our words will
literally be as if God was speaking.
​
“If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things
God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” This goes hand in hand with showing
hospitality without grumbling. There are countless opportunities to serve, so when we
do it, we ought to make sure that we are doing so joyfully. We can show up to serve
and know that God is going to provide the strength for the task at hand. What a
beautiful partnership that is to be found in Jesus with these things!! He gives us the
strength, the people we serve are blessed by our service, God is blessed by our
service, and we are able to be blessed by having been able to use our gifts. God math.
He helps us, and everyone involved is blessed by it. And God is praised in the efforts
that we expend on his behalf. Colossians 3:23 Do all things as though working for the
Lord. Imagine, you have been invited by the King to serve in his courts. What a
privilege that would be. It is the same thing to serve here in the Kingdom of God. It is a
high honor. Our attitudes and demeanor should reflect that.

To Him be the glory and the power, forever and ever. Amen. As we continue to turn our
lives over to the Lord, we decrease, and he increases in us. Then those around us will
be able to see. The gospel in us causes us to rise up into our good works, which he
prepared in advance for us to do. Peter was a common fisherman before he became a
follower of Jesus. I was a 16 year old exchange student. We are called from all
different backgrounds. And we are each invited to use our gifts in service of the King,
that we might glorify him, that we might point others in the right direction. The more of
use that do that, the more people will be unable to deny the work of God in his people.
And maybe, just maybe, they may join us in praising our Father up in Heaven. Peace to
you.