“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 4:10-11, English Standard Version)
This daily devotional for women looks at what it means to serve others well, using a gift given by God rather than relying only on personal strength or ambition.
What This Verse Means
Peter writes to believers about using whatever gift they have received for the good of others. He frames service not as a burden carried alone but as something done “by the strength that God supplies.” The goal stated in the passage is specific: that God is glorified through Jesus Christ in everything, including the ordinary ways people help one another.
This idea echoes through the rest of Scripture. Jesus told his disciples in Mark 9:35, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all,” turning the usual idea of greatness upside down. In John 15:12, he gave a direct command: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Paul added in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Service to others runs through the Bible as a core part of following Jesus, not as optional advice reserved for certain personality types.
Living It Today
Women carry out service in countless forms. Scripture calls the first woman a helper (Genesis 2:18), Paul counts Priscilla among his fellow workers (Romans 16:3), and Lydia ran a business selling purple goods (Acts 16:14). For one woman that service looks like cultivating a home, for another it’s showing hospitality, offering spiritual encouragement or working outside the home. None of it has to be loud or visible to count. The verse from 1 Peter points to a quieter truth: service matters because of who it’s for, not how much recognition it brings.
That shift in focus can change an ordinary Tuesday. A meal cooked for a tired family, a text sent to check on a friend, a patient answer to a child’s 10th question of the day, time given to a co-worker who needs help finishing a project. These are not small distractions from a bigger calling.
Paul tells believers to work heartily, “as for the Lord and not for men,” because “you are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24). Those everyday acts are themselves service to Christ.
Jesus modeled this by spending time with people others had written off, sharing meals with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15-17) and treating everyone with dignity. That example offers a practical guide for anyone deciding how to treat a difficult co-worker, a stranger having a hard day or a family member who is easy to overlook. Service, in this sense, is less about finding the perfect opportunity and more about noticing the ones already in front of you.
Reflection Questions
- What gift or strength has God given you that you could use to serve someone today?
- Is there a person in your life this week who needs their burden carried, even in a small way?
- Where do you tend to serve for recognition rather than simply out of love?
A Prayer For Today
Lord, thank you for the strength you supply when mine runs out. Help me see the people in front of me today, the ones who need patience, a kind word or a helping hand. Teach me to serve without keeping score and without needing to be noticed.
Let whatever I do today point back to you. Amen.
For more daily encouragement, read the daily devotional for women from Oct. 17 or the devotional for women from Oct. 14. Men can find their own daily reading in the devotional on speaking truth in love.
More Daily Devotionals from Total Apex Entertainment.
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →
