1 Peter 3:15-16
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV
If we are totally honest, sharing our faith with someone probably doesn’t feel like the easiest thing to do. You might be scared that others will think you’re weird if you share your faith or maybe that someone will stop liking you if you do. Regardless of our fears, today’s verses shows us that we should be ready to share ou faith with others. We never know when a friend might need encouragement. Or when a neighbor might need prayer. We should always be ready to explain why we believe in Jesus and why there is hope in Jesus. The Christian hope is in our God, who hears and answers our prayer. He is the one that guarantees our reconciliation that was secured by the blood of Jesus on our behalf at the Cross. Peter encourages us to guard our hearts and our speech, and to turn from evil and do good. We are to seek peace and to pursue it, and we are to be sanctified unto God and live godly in Christ Jesus which is the Father's will for all His children. We are called to be holy even as our Father in heaven is Holy, and we are instructed to be sanctified unto God in our hearts by faith, with thanksgiving and praise. But there is one more piece of Godly wisdom that Peter pens to all the elect of God who are set apart unto Him a directive that we would all do well to note no matter where we live in the world and no matter what our life circumstances may be. As God's children, we should be ready to answer anyone who asks us about our faith in Christ and our trust in God. We should all be equipped to talk of our blessed hope and the grace of God that gives salvation to whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord. We should all be properly prepared and readily inclined to give a defence of the gospel of grace in which we stand. We should be properly prepared to give an answer for the blessed hope we have in our heart and to share the glorious hope that we have in Christ Jesus our Saviour. And we are exhorted to do this in gentleness of spirit, in reverence, and in grace. We are to be ready and able to tell folks about the hope that Jesus has brought to our lives. But when we share this hope, two things are important, our credibility is Jesus really Lord of our hearts and our character do we show gentleness and respect in our persuasion approach. The goal is not to win arguments but hearts to the God of character!!!
Father thank You for this day and that we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. Lord let Tour abundant blessings flow from the floodgates of heaven over my friend and family today. Lord our desire is to be fully sanctified unto You and to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy unto God. Lord guard our hearts and guide our speech, we pray. Lord give us wisdom to be able to give a defence for our trust in You and to give an answer for the blessed hope that we have You. Lord my friend and I pray that by the power of Your Holy Spirit, we would be able to answer everyone who asks us about our faith in You, in gentleness and reverence and always to Your praise and glory. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing. Love ya!!
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