So that God is Glorified

“If anyone speaks, let it be as the words of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as of the ability which God gives, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory, and the might forever and ever. Amen.” (1Peter 4:11)

This verse seems to be clear. I read it and thought that there is nothing else I can say about it. But what does the Lord want us to learn from it? What revelation did Peter receive that he wrote these words?

First, it speaks to anyone. That’s me. That’s you. We are anyones, just ordinary believers, only special because Jesus died for us and we are covered with His blood. Strong’s defines “anyone” as any and whosoever.  This is a completely different word that is used in John 3:16. But the meaning is the same. It’s the word that God the Holy Spirit chose to use to specify that anyone can believe in John 3:16 and in 1 Peter 4:11 to say any believer. When we speak, we are not to use the world’s words to describe our feelings, our thoughts, our circumstances nor our lives. We are to speak what God has said, “...the words of God.”

God’s Word tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it shall eat the fruit of it.” (Proverbs 18:21) There is power in the spoken words we speak. We can either speak life or death into our lives through the words that we choose to use. And Solomon in God’s wisdom revealed what science has now confirmed. What we say, triggers our body to respond to our words. We will live with the results of our tongue. We either speak life by speaking God’s Word or death by speaking the lies of the devil. James wrote, “Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing...” (James 3:10)  The writer of Hebrew wrote, “For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) He knew the power of speaking God’s Word. God’s Word is alive and powerful. Speak it over yourself, your family, your circumstances and over your life. It will produce good fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) And why is this, you might ask. Isaiah has the answer. “so shall My Word be, which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do.” (Isaiah 55:11) Yes, we may speak it, but it’s God’s Word that has the ability and power to be fulfilled because it comes from the Creator Who speaks and it is done.

Then, Peter writes, “... If anyone ministers, let him do it as of the ability which God gives, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory...” We, meaning humans or mankind, are so self-centered. God speaks to our hearts and right away we take matters into our own hands. When the Lord speaks His will and purpose into our hearts that is such a holy and precious thing. We are to treasure it, surround it in prayer and protect it from the world and the enemy. But our egos tell the world and the enemy. We make “our” plans on how to carry out God’s Will. We move heaven and earth to fulfill it and to make it happen. We spend time, energy and every resource we have to make it come to fruition. And then we stand back and get the glory. But this is not God’s way. Hezekiah did something similar. God blessed the kingdom of Judah with much riches and resources. When the envoys from Babylon came, he showed them all of Judah’s riches. The Lord through the prophet Isaiah told him, “Behold, the days come when all that is in your house, and which your fathers have laid up in store until today, shall be carried into Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says Jehovah. And of your sons which shall issue from you, which you shall father, they shall take away. And they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” (2Kings 20:17-18) The Babylonians didn’t come in Hezekiah’s time, but in the time of his sons. The looted Judah and took the people captive. They made the royal young men eunuchs to serve the Babylonian king in his palace. The treasure God places in your heart is for God’s perfect time. He will accomplish it. It’s not for advertisement. When it’s God’s perfect time, He will accomplish it. Do not display the seed that is planted in your heart for a certain time, but shield it from the enemy until God’s time. The Lord will then in an instant bring it to pass. When God moves, He is not hindered. The seed will be full grown and will flourish because the Lord is the One Who has made it grow. He opens doors and opportunities which were never available and God is glorified in all. And what are we to do? We are to prepare, study, learn, obey God’s direction and be readied to steward the work of God.

This Scripture is interesting coming from Peter, the Peter who spoke before thinking, who rashly made vows and couldn’t keep them. The Lord shows us that if we think we have difficulty obeying the Lord in all things, He has power and through the Holy Spirit can change us into someone who can be trusted with God’s treasures much like Peter was changed by the Spirit of God.

Summarizing, there are two things in this one Scripture we can apply to our lives. We can choose to speak what God says about us and for us changing the protectory of  what the devil intends for us, have victory and blessing in our lives in spite of the troubles that come our way. And we can learn to be trusted with God’s treasures in prayer and endurance keeping the seeds of His Kingdom incubating in our hearts until God’s perfect time.

Let us pray:

Father God, Your wisdom is so far above anything I can think or imagine. Help me to trust in You and in Your Word. Help me to keep Your treasured seeds protected until You move to reveal Your glory. And help me my Lord to keep guard over my words. Keep me from presumptuousness and pride. Any gift or revelation of Your Word Lord is a holy and a sacred thing. Help me to keep it as the priceless treasure that it is so that You may be glorified. I thank You my Lord for all Your plans for my life. I thank You for all the seasons that mold me and bring me closer to being made in the image of Christ. Thank You for leading and directing my life. I am Yours Lord. And everything that I have and all that I am is for Your glory. In the Name of Jesus, amen.