“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

God hasn’t left us to live totally dependent on our own resources. He has given us spiritual gifts that enable us to serve Him and others supernaturally. We have natural abilities, of course, but spiritual gifts equip us far beyond our natural abilities. It’s easy to see that those gifts are necessary in church work but they are given so we can serve others, not just in church, but in every area where our lives touch the world.

In this verse, there is a remarkable connection between two words that can be seen in the original language but can be missed in our translations. The word “gifts” is a translation of “charismata” and the word “grace” is a translation of “charis.” In the original language “gifts” come from the same root word as “grace.” John Wimber called gifts “gracelets” so we would naturally see how they are tied together. Spiritual gifts are expressions of God’s grace.

“Various forms” is the translation of a word that literally means “many-colored.” Just as a prism breaks down white light into many distinct colors, God’s grace is comprised of many different gifts. No one has all the spiritual gifts, but each of us has some gift. When we use them together to serve others we are producing the white light of God’s grace that the world so desperately needs. When we take whatever “gracelet” God has given us and use it in conjunction with the “gracelets” God has given others the world will see God’s grace in action.