“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.” I Peter 3:15
I have some favorite subjects that I like to talk about with others. I have a lot of knowledge on those subjects because I spend a lot of time seeking knowledge through books, talking with others, etc. I notice that some people do that with famous people as well. They are fans and members of fan clubs. The look for memorabilia regarding that person, have posters on their walls, find web sites with information about that person. They can tell you practically anything that person ever said or did, where they have been, what year they acted in what movie or sang what song. They often try to act like that person as well, dressing the way that person dresses, using verbal expressions that that person would use, etc.
In my earlier years, when it came to Christ, I knew a lot of the ‘right answers’. I had been taught well in Sunday School and home, and I even read the Bible now and then – when I had time. But I wasn’t able to ‘give a reason for the hope’ that I had – not that very many people asked. While I was gaining knowledge here and there, I wasn’t deliberately trying to get to know Jesus in order to have a true relationship with Him. Little by little, I was becoming knowledgeable about Jesus and His teachings, but I wasn’t really getting to know Him. It is a little difficult to give a reason for your hope, joy, and peace, if you simply don’t have them. Yes, that’s right. I lived uptight most of the time.
Knowledge about Jesus isn’t enough. It is in relationship with Him, as we get to know him as a friend, mentor, teacher, and most of all, Savior, that we can begin to verbalize the reason for our hope. As we begin to understand and feel the love He has for us, it frees us to better love others and live with expressions of peace and joy that stand out. Then our neighbors and co-workers will be asking us about how we can be at peace when our world is falling apart or how we can deal gently with someone who has done such a terrible thing to us.
When we allow Jesus to change us from the inside out and it begins to affect our behaviors towards others and our circumstances, then we will have opportunity to ‘give the reason for our hope’ when others become curious and ask us. Now that I have been spending more time with Jesus and have allowed Him to influence my behaviors and thinking, I’m ready. So go ahead and ask.
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