This chapter covers two main themes with one main ending: Serving and Suffering for God's Glory. Peter covers the fact that no matter what we do, we should be doing it solely for the glory of God for the declaration of salvation to the whole world. Or in laymen's terms - we do it to try to show people God.
The first speaks of serving for God's glory. His main point is in verse 8 where he says, "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for 'love will cover a multitude of sins'". This is probably one of the most defining verses of the Christian faith! It is God's love that covers our sins, and it is the love of others that allows us to look over their sins and live in harmony. Period. Love is what allows us to carry on. Love is what gets us by. We love to serve. We love for the glory of God.
Love is not the only way we serve, however. We also serve by using our spiritual gifts. The Bible teaches that everyone who is saved recieves the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has a special gift designed for that person. The purpose is for that person to use that gift in God's ministry. No, I do not mean full-time, pastoral service as it is for some; no, God's ministry involves everyone who proclaims His Name! If you are in the Body of Christ, then you have a job to do. God wants you to figure out the gift the Holy Spirit gave you, and use it for His glory. It's your responsibility! (Hey, no one ever said this is going to be easy! And if they did, they lied!)
The only excuse for someone not serving is for them to be suffering. However, they still do this for the glory of God. As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches that this is an even greater privilege to suffer for Christ than the serve for Him. There is a special place for those who have to suffer for the name of Jesus, and it is not overlooked in the least bit. If you experience a time when you are suffering for the name of Christ (and it doesn't have to be martyrdom, it can simply be missing out on the pleasures of the flesh, being talked about, etc.), God says to do it with joy because through it His glory is revealed (vs. 13) and that by glorifying Him in time of suffering, you are doing a great work for the Kingdom.
So, these are the two main ways in which we glorify God. They cover just about everything we do in the Christian life. If you're not serving, you better be suffering; and if you're not suffering, you should be serving! Are you doing either one?
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