Being A Blessing (1 Peter 4:8-11)
It's an old story, but its truth transcends time.
A little four-year-old boy became frightened late one night during a thunderstorm. After one particularly loud clap of thunder, he jumped up from his bed, ran down the hall, and burst into her parent's room. Jumping right in the middle of the bed, he sought out her parent's arms for comfort and reassurance. "Don't worry, son" his father said, trying to calm his fears. "The Lord will protect you. "The little boy snuggled closer to his father and said, "I know that, Daddy, but right now I need someone with some skin on!"
Theme: Everyone wants to be cared about. They want someone with skin on, to be there for them. It is a comfort to know that there are people that will be there for you, when life takes a turn for the worse. In this season when we are encouraged to “Count our blessings” What about “Being A Blessing?” In 1 Peter 4:8-11, Peter shows us three ways that we can be a blessing to others:
BY OUR MUTUAL LOVE (1 Peter 4:8)
Main Thought: This word “fervent” is like an athlete straining to reach his/her goal. It speaks of the eagerness and intensity. The strong desire to be a blessing to others. Love is the circulatory system of the church. Without hindrance, its builds unity & stability. This fervent love covers sin. This type of love, motivates Christian people to forgive & forget offences against themselves. To cover those offenses, is to let go of them. To release them, instead of making them of source of gossip and community criticism.
When we think of all the wonders of God’s magnificent creation, We can be especially awed by the giant sequoia tree. These amazing trees of the forest can grow to around 300 feet tall with a diameter that exceeds 20 feet. They can live over 3,000 years and are even fire resistant. In fact, forest fires pop the sequoia cones open, distributing their seeds on the forest floor that has been fertilized by the ashes. Perhaps the most amazing fact is that these trees can grow in just 3 feet of soil and withstand high winds. Their strength lies in the fact that their roots intertwine with other sequoias, providing mutual strength and shared resources.
What gives the church the stability it needs to endure, and to be a mighty witness in this world today? It is our mutual love: Together-we love Jesus Christ. Together- we love each other. We forgive, and we forget, and we keep on ministering to one another.
OUR MUTUAL HOSPITALITY (1 Peter 4:9)
Main Thought: When we think of hospitality, we think of people opening up their homes to others. But it is more than this: It is: Opening up our hearts and lives to benefit others.
2. in our busy lives, its easy to (NOT) be aware of the needs of others. To give a listening ear, a helping hand, an encouraging word, means more to people, than we realize at times.
Bill Crowder writes: In 1987, our family moved to California to take up the pastorate of a church in the Long Beach area. The day we flew into town, my secretary picked us up at the airport to take us to our house. As we pulled into traffic, the very first thing I saw was a bumper sticker that read: “Welcome To California . . . Now Go Home!” It was not exactly a warm and cheery welcome to sunny southern California! I wonder if there might be occasions in our lives when we send similar signals to people around us. Whether we are at church, in the neighborhood, or at social gatherings, are there times when we fail to make others feel welcome in our world?
BY OUR MUTUAL MINISTRY (1 Peter 4:10-11)
Main Thought: Please never forget: The spiritual gifts God gives to us, are to be used for ministry to others. If we are looking for opportunities to shine in the lime light, that is the wrong motive & purpose. As we are all standing in the grace of God, we must take advantage of every opportunity to minister the manifold grace of God to others.
In v. 11 Peter tells us of two ways to do this. By our speech – Encouragement from the Word of God. By our service – In God’s care & strength/not fear. And in all we say, and do, may God get the glory/not us!
An anthropologist, while in a small village made up a game for the children. His idea was to create a race for a basket of fruit and candy that he placed near a tree. When he gave the signal to run, no one made a dash for the finish line. Instead the children joined hands and ran together. (Why?)
“How could one of us be happy, when all the others would be sad?”
(How can we be a blessing to help others to be happy?)