Reasons For Our Hope

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
(1 Peter 3:15)

Meditation

Jesus is holy and it’s not honoring him to claim he’s okay with any kind of sinful behavior. One of the definitions of holy is, “having a pure quality.” Not one other person who has ever lived can be said to be pure or holy. I honor the holiness of Jesus by trying to live my life as if he were bodily standing next to me all day. I don’t always succeed but that’s what I try for. If Jesus is with me all day, how do I respond to someone asking me why I believe the way I do? I can respond with a favorite scripture passage or I can give the circumstances of my conversion. There is no “one size fits all” way to tell people why there is such hope and joy in your heart. I can only try my best to share Christ’s love with them. If I just shrug my shoulders and walk away, or if I prejudge the person, thinking they’ll never believe anyway, I have failed to honor Jesus.
One of the reasons for the hope in my heart is the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given me, whether they’re saved or not. If I love someone enough to want them to have what I have, then I’m going to gently and respectfully share my faith with them. I don’t want to try to ram it down their throats. I plant the seed and let the Holy Spirit water and make that seed germinate. Unless no one knows you are a believer, you’ve been asked to tell why you believe. Your response carries weight you may not be aware of. You may be the only example of Jesus that person ever sees. If you are flippant or laugh off their question, they may never have another chance to hear the truth before they die. If they don’t know from your changed life, maybe your life hasn’t changed enough to be noticeable.
Once you’ve shared the hope in your heart, be prepared for possible ridicule. That’s the devil trying to hold on to the wretch you’re sharing the love of Christ with. The devil knows if he can embarrass you with slander or by mocking you, you might just walk away. The devil wins when we walk away. When the words of doubt and scorn start pouring out of the person you’re sharing with, respond with love and a gentle spirit. Turn the words meant to humiliate you to a warm and nonjudgmental response to show them you love them.




Daily Prayer

O God, you are good and perfect. Our hearts are full of love for you. Our minds are trying to contemplate your power and might. Our mouths are full of praise as we shout out to the world about your glory. We thank you, Lord, for giving us the heart and drive to share your gospel. Sometimes, we will be challenged by unbelievers who demand we defend our faith. We ask you to give us the temperament to handle their challenge with your grace, and not with our human sensitivity. Help us with the words we need to say to help the unbeliever come to faith in you. We know you love everyone, even an offensive unbeliever, as much as you love us. Lead us to develop a good study habit to learn how to respond when challenged. We have such hope in our hearts that we want to share with everyone, so help us do that. Never let us compromise the truth just to get along. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Devotional for May 12 - May 18

Image
To all my readers: I am changing this blog to a weekly format. I am being forced to do it this way because this blog site is saying my blog is too short to continue publishing. I purposely try to keep it short so you will have time to read it every day. I hope you will understand and keep reading. Thank you, Brad Hopkins May 12 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15) Meditation Before I was saved, I worked in a very competitive environment. Many of my co-workers were very jealous of the accomplishments of others. I have to confess; I too would get that green-eyed feeling if I didn’t get promoted when I thought I deserved it. Outwardly, I showed a happy face. I would congratulate the person who was recognized or promoted, but inwardly I was terribly envious. I received as many promotions as most in my career field, but I couldn’t rejoice for others because of jealousy and covetousness. I didn’t know how to deal with grief s...
Read more

Preach the Word

Image
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2) Meditation I used to think it was only the pastors job to preach the Word of God. I’m not a preacher, so it didn’t occur to me to share the gospel. However, this verse does not say, “Preachers, preach the word.” Whether you realize it or not, we are all ministers of the gospel. We have been charged with the awesome task of telling everyone about Jesus and why he went to the cross. When Jesus gave the “Great Commission,” to make disciples of all nations; he wasn’t just talking to his own disciples. He was speaking to every one of us. There is no other mission or calling more important than that for us. Even if we go to church every Sunday, but do nothing else, we’re not in the game; we’re just spectators. Jesus doesn’t want fans, he wants followers. Whether we’re in church or somewhere else, we’re responsible t...
Read more

Think About Heavenly Things

Image
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) Why have I spent so much time filling my mind with garbage? I’ve read unclean jokes or off-color cartoons and shared them on social media. I used to go to movies or watch things on television that are detestable to the Lord and thought nothing of it. My baser instincts are to gravitate toward the impure offerings of our entertainment industry. How can I, as a Christian, live a righteous life if I’m continuously feeding on the poisonous filth of this world? Instead, I should look for and promote the things that are wholesome and good. My money and time have power if I, as Christians, refuse to support the immorality that Hollywood puts out. If my ticket money, along with other Christians, is used to support good family entertainment, the fat cats in ...
Read more