Stewards of Grace

These guys knew how to do it right.

So, kings and queens, now that you know you’re sitting on the throne, how are you going to rule? You've been charged to rule with nothing less than the steadfast, long-suffering love of the King Himself. Where will you find the strength and where will you begin?

Here’s a good starting point from our friend, Saint Peter:

“Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another. As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who utters oracles of God; whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (I Peter 4:8-11).

Here’s what I think Saint Peter is sharing with us:

1. 

   This Peter knew what comes with
   great power, too.

   Recognize that you have been given grace, and be thankful. To be a good steward, first off, you have to realize what a huge responsibility you have been given. Maybe you don’t remember it, but there was a day in your life when you were sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit—when you were given the authority to rule as a temporary ruler. A sort of coronation, if you will. That same Spirit is constantly renewing you with His grace, guiding your conscience, drawing you to repentance, and healing your wounds. To cultivate, grow, and share our gifts, we must first humbly and thankfully turn to the True King, bowing down before Him, kissing His hand, and thanking Him for trusting us with such grace.
2. Use your powers for the good of others. Peter tells us to serve one another according to the gifts we’ve been given. A good steward is constantly looking for ways in which whatever he has been given can be shared with those around him. As God’s grace is varied so that each of us has something unique to offer the world, this can happen in a million different ways….each day. Ask yourself, “How can I bring God’s grace to this person? This problem? This moment?”
3. Ignore the bad stuff whenever you can. Nobody likes to be remembered for the time they totally lost their cool or did something really dumb. Would you really want those you care about constantly replaying in their minds that time you really messed up? No. So don’t do it to those around you, either. “Love covers a multitude of sins” means that when you really strive to love someone with Christ’s love, you don’t even notice their little mess ups. When you do notice, you make excuses for them, you let them off the hook. Just as God grants us His grace in spite of our many sins, as His stewards, we must be gracious to those who sin against us.
4. Give freely. “Be hospitable,” St. Peter says, “but don’t do it out of obligation.” That’s not real love. Give freely of yourself as the King has freely given to you. Remember all that has been entrusted to you as the temporary ruler, and find ways to show the King’s subjects that He loves them through your love for them.
5. At the end of the day, give it up to Christ. As a steward, it’s part-and-parcel of the job that you don’t take the credit for things going well. All of your efforts are put in to please the King, to make sure that everyone loves and respects Him, not you. After all, you are simply a servant carrying out the affairs of the King according to His commands. There’s no room to get haughty about the job. Instead, practice turning over the glory in prayer: “Glory to God for all things, especially those things which I, with the grace I have been given, was able to offer this day.”

This week’s challenge: cultivate the grace you've been given by multiplying it among others.