As God’s bond servant, your service is unique. Your contribution to the Master’s kingdom and family is uniquely customized to your calling, personality, gifting, and stage of life. In other words, you administer God’s grace through your unique gifting.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it 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. (1 Pet. 4:10–11 NIV, emphasis added).
While God’s grace is administered through His servants, His grace is administered in various forms. Because we are different, with unique spiritual gifts, God’s mercy is expressed in a variety of ways.
One weekend I taught this principle to the people in our church. I emphasized that God’s grace is like water: purifying and refreshing. And we are honored to administer His grace. To illustrate, a myriad of water dispensers were placed on the platform.
Perhaps God has gifted you to be a sprinkler. You spread God’s grace to a lot of people in small ways. Perhaps God has gifted you to be a watering pot. You nurture a group of people over time. Or maybe God has gifted you to be a pitcher. You refresh people with hospitality and tangible acts of service. Perhaps God has gifted you to be a pressure cleaner. You bring change and leadership into situations that need a fresh touch of God’s grace. Maybe God has gifted you to be a dropper. You think your contribution is small, but your contribution is essential.
There is a unique contribution that only you can make. There is a specific way that God’s grace is going to be distributed through you. Each of us plays a critical role in God’s desire to reveal His glory through the church (Eph. 3:10), and your Master desires your unique and specific contribution.
Adapted from Identity (2008, B&H Publishing Group)
