“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” (I Peter 4:10, CSB)
One of my favorite preachers and best friends through the years, Wayne Barber, had a great story he used to illustrate I Peter 4:10.
Wayne had taken a job working with the phone company as a line-splicer. He was supposed to splice together two large cables of wire made up of hundreds of much smaller cables that were color-coded. The blue one from one cable was supposed to be spliced to the blue one of the other and on and on.
On his first day on the job, as Wayne told it, he discovered something about himself he had not known – he was color blind to many of the colors of those cables. A good number of folks lost their phone service before anyone realized the cable man was color blind. I’m grateful Wayne went on to preach instead of working at the phone company.
The word translated “varied” in I Peter 4:10 is a word that describes the various “colors” of God’s grace. The picture here is this: God’s grace has exact precision for the need that arises in our lives. If I have a “green” challenge, He sends a “green” grace and so on. His grace is perfectly matched to my need.
It’s the reason you and I will think about some scenario and speculate, “I don’t know how I would ever get through that,” yet when the moment comes, somehow, we get through it. In those moments, God sends us the exact grace we need to move through what we are moving through. Apparently, God doesn’t waste this grace either. He will send what you need, when you need it. Not before and not after.
When my wife and I walked through breast cancer 20 years ago, we found something in our “grace” account over and over that we weren’t expecting – the grace we needed for each part of the journey was always there when we needed it.
The same will be true for you.
Do you have a “blue” trial facing you today? God’s “blue” grace is already on the way. Rest in that truth as you walk with him on the journey home.
Mike Harland is the Director of LifeWay Worship. When he’s not directing 30+ employees, you’ll find him leading worship at various churches around the country, writing/arranging worship songs and/or, writing his next book. In his spare time, he loves playing basketball and spending time with his family. Mike can be found on Twitter @MikeHarlandLW and on facebook.com/Mike.Harland.37.
GOOD WORD Mike! We can all say,
“Your Grace is Enough”!