Got a Gift? Glorify God - 1 Peter 4-5

1 Peter 4:11 has been my life verse for ... life.   I have quoted it hundreds of times before I speak to believers and non-believers, alike.   It keeps me anchored in what is my responsibility toward God with the gifts He has given me.  

1 Peter 4:11

Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

It is one of the few verses in God's Word that ends with an "Amen."   Peter is adamant about our using our gift for the glory of Christ.   Whether we are given the gift of speaking or the gift of serving we are to glorify God in all, by speaking of Christ and serving for Christ.   As a professional speaker I take great solace in this verse to aide me in remembering that no matter where I speak or what I speak on I should use truth originated by God and say it for the glory of God.   He (Peter) is using "speaking" and "serving" here as mere examples of using your gift for God.  In verse ten he has stated that we are all given special gifts.  We are to use it (whatever it is) to bring glory to the God who gave us the gift.   Speaking (being up front) and Serving (being behind the scene) are at opposite poles of the gift world, from man's view point.   However, both are to be used to bring glory to God.  God does not distinguish in the type of gift (1 Corinthians 12) and niether should we.  We are to only make sure we use the gift to glorify God.