1 Peter 4:7-11

At aboveground (my church's college ministry) we have been studying the book of 1st Peter. It was the Sunday before I left for Malawi that we talked about chapter 4 verses 7-11. It really stood out to me and screamed "Paige, stop being distracted by all the small things and focus on what God wants from this trip." Our team had been sending tons of facebook messages about packing and the schedule of travel etc. These verses encouraged me to send them to the team to refocus our aim and remember the whole reason we were going to Malawi.  Our team leader Noelle, brought it up the night before we flew out that we should think of ideas for a trip verse. It was another girl on the team that said we should do the 1 Peter verse I sent the other day. We read it as a team and decided that it went along perfectly with what we wanted our trip to be about.

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹ Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Throughout our time in Malawi we would meet as a team and read this verse every time. We also would write words from this verse on our wrist so we would see it during the day. For example, pray, earnest( in a different version it says to love earnestly), love all. There are so many different things in this verse that stuck out to me on the trip and that I still want to live out in my life all the time.