"Above all else, love each other deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Cheerfully share your home
with those who need a meal or a place to stay."
1 Peter 4:8-9 (8 in NIV, 9 in NLT)
The next verse is what attracted me to the passage in the first place because it contained a "key" word for me...my word for the year...grace.
"As each has received a gift,
use it to serve one another,
as good stewards of God's varied grace."
1 Peter 4:10 ESV
(Is it weird that I'm memorizing a three-verse passage in three different translations? Don't answer that.)
I love how the Amplified version describes God's grace as "many-sided"... As I contemplate grace...unmerited, undeserved favor...I'm struck with wonder that I'm a recipient of God's grace - that we all are. And while I say I'm thankful, I'm also struck by how often I expect others to "earn" my favor; to deserve it. In I Peter 4:10, we are told to be "good stewards of God's varied grace," and we do that by serving others with the gifts, the grace gifts, we've been given.
We are blessed.
We can bless.
We receive grace and we can extend grace.
Grace is not given to us so we can grasp it. We are called to become gracious, to allow the grace we've received flow through our lives to bless others.
If you're interested in participating in the Siesta Scripture Memory Team hosted by Beth Moore, find out details here. And post your Feb. 1 scripture here.
Let's be a blessing. And extend some grace.
If you're interested in participating in the Siesta Scripture Memory Team hosted by Beth Moore, find out details here. And post your Feb. 1 scripture here.
Let's be a blessing. And extend some grace.
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