LS-20-The Manifold Grace of God

The Manifold Grace of God As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.--1 Peter 4:10. The word used by the apostle, of which "manifold" is a translation, means variegated, many-hued. Up in the hills the other day, we saw a homestead tastefully laid out with deciduous trees. There were the birch, the oak, the poplar, the Japanese maple exquisitely beautiful in the light of the sun glinting on their varied autumn tints. Many-hued was that garden, fit symbol of the manifold grace of God that held the attention of the apostle. He saw the grace of God in its various aspects: The gentle compassion, the infinite goodness, the loving care, the Divine forgiveness, the unwearied patience--all those tender revealings of the heavenly Father which move our hearts and bless our lives. It is as if He were gazing on the rainbow, that sign in the sky which has always been regarded as a message of light and hope. As the white light of the sun is separated by the prism into the colours of the spectrum, so the grace of God, as it is revealed in Christ, is seen to comprise all the elements of blessing that our hearts need. Here is the solicitude of a parent, the consideration of a friend, the fellow-suffering that consoles, and the exertion of a power that reaches out to save. The exhortation is a particular one, having reference to gifts of special nature, which we have received, and which, as good stewards, we should minister to others. But the thought of the apostle could not be narrowed into any limited groove. The grace of God is various, it touches our lives in all directions, and the natural response of our lives is the overflowing of those Christian graces which bless other lives as well. We are the constant recipients of His goodness. The Lord’s mercies are new every morning. Because we are saved by His grace, we must become saviours; because we axe blessed in His love, we must become a blessing to others.

We may stand among the beauties of nature and be unconscious of their charm. We may have streaming upon us the wonders of His grace, and fail to realise its blessedness. We pause, therefore, to reflect awhile, to open our minds in understanding, and our hearts in appreciation of His love. But not for ourselves alone Is this grace given; not for ourselves alone do we seek it, but In order that, having received the gift, we may minister the same to others, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.