10-11: Having been exhorted to be "lovers of strangers" in verse 9, leading us all to be givers, Peter brings the command into clearer focus. We all have been shown grace. All of life is grace. The air we breath, the water we drink, the loveliness of a sunset, the beauty of a pastoral scene. Not only the essentials of life that we take for granted are grace, but also the very aesthetic quality of those essentials as well. Our God does not dole out grace. He dumps it out. Deluge and not sprinkle is the proper term. Every minute, I am fond of saying, is a moment in which we as living creations experience grace. We are completely surrounded. The expedient thing to do is to surrender. To throw up the white flag of truce. To realize that the castle of our own self-will has been besieged by the manifold Grace of God, is to find life. But more than this, each of us have been shown particular graces as well. Some are given to speaking, and are given tongues that proclaim with bold words the grace that supports it. Some are given to serving, and are given hands that hold cups of clear and cool grace, refreshing the thirsty soul. Some are given to praying, and are given knees that know the grace of the worn floor beside the bed. Each of us has not only been given life, but a means to share it. Not only are we given water, we are given a cup as well. Grace comes in many shapes and sizes, for our Father has a different purpose for each of us.
The Author of all things speaks to us in story. He speaks to us both in the Revealed Story of Scripture, and in the story we call our life. As mentioned above, our lives are not our own. They are not ours to do with as we like. It is not as though the Father rents time from us every now and then, paying us for time spent in His presence. Rather, our lives, bought with a purpose, belong to Him, to do with as He likes. This means every part of our life has meaning behind it. There is nothing accidental about our existence. This in itself is most comforting, but it leads to something far more amazing. It means we as characters in His book, actually participate with Him in the ministry of His Grace to the world. As a Father He wants a thirsty child to have water to refresh his spirit. Therefore He has gifted another child to hold out clear cups of grace at the right time and in the right place. In this way He has made us interdependent. We are all connected and given to one another. My cup, holding the grace that I have been given, is perfectly suited to offer refreshment to your need. And the cup you have been given is shaped in just the right way so as to quench the thirst that has been welling up in me. In other words, the Author of all things uses indirect methods of blessing His people. Even this is grace in that it builds up a bond between believers, and bond no army can undo.
So what are we to do? Know the story being written around you. Who are you? What graces have you been shown? What vessel has been given to you so that you may meet very particular needs? This requires us to actually see others as more important that ourselves. With us at the center all we look for is what others can do for us. All we notice is the shortfall in their cups ability to meet our needs. But that's the magic of grace. When pursued for self-serving reasons, grace, when obtained, always turns to ash, and will not quench. But when one keeps others in front at all times, the grace shown him, no matter what size cup it comes in, nor what shape, will quench his need beyond all the wells in the world. Therefore let us pursue others, showering them with the grace we have been given. This way of life honors our Maker more than anything.
How? How does this way of living honor our Maker? For one thing it means a life of obedience, and obedience is sweeter than sacrifice. More than that though, and closer to Peter's point, a life which showcases grace is a life that makes manifest the incarnation of Jesus. We are the Body of Christ. He has made us His incarnate presence on this Earth, through the power of His Spirit. Now of course, Jesus still has a physical body, which we have argued thoroughly above. But, in a very real sense, we are His body. Every time we put grace on display we are telling the truth about who God is to the world. Every time we live for self, we lie concerning the name we have been given. Every clenched and grasping fist is Peter before the cock crowed, denying his association with His Lord. Every upturned hand, open to the story being told, is Peter saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." In other words, our actions are our theology. What we say with our hands is truer than anything we say with our lips, concerning our real heart attitude. And there is no neutral zone. Either we brush our teeth to the glory of God or we don't. Either we wash the dishes to the praise of His name, or we don't. Granted, actions fall on a graded scale in terms of importance, but nothing happens without meaning or story behind it. Everything we do is accompanied by attitudes and motivations. Despite our best intentions they are often thinly veiled, and so speak volumes to those who watch. Either they speak truth, or they lie. Either they align with what we say we believe, or they prove us to be hypocrites. And someone is always watching. Even if it is only the Lord of all things. Therefore let your actions be true.
We serve "as one who serves by the strength that God supplies." In other words, when we do anything we are to do it as a representative of the One who enables us to do anything at all. In this way, Jesus is made manifest, and through Him the Father is glorified. Peter supplies that common and annoying clause, 'so that in everything.' This does not mean only in big ticket items like our jobs, or our marriages, or our finances. It means in everything, down to the way we tie our shoes. In everything, if our lives reflect the grace that we have been shown, then Jesus is preached, and the Father is glorified. Peter explains why this is necessary. All things are already under His dominion anyway. All glory belongs to Him already. Therefore wake up. Don't be the child who covers his eyes and says, "I can't see you so you must not be there." Look around. See with your eyes that Jesus is Lord. Show with your hands that you see.
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