"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asked you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"
I Peter 3:15
Whether you know it or not, when you have the joy of the Lord in your life, you are different from those that are around you. They are able to see an unmistakeable happiness in your life that they are lacking. How you handle yourself in the good situations and the stressful situations reflects upon your testimony.
Over the years, I have had several people ask me, "Why are you always happy?" They know that it is not just because my life is so hunky-dory that I do not have a bad day, but they know that there is something different about me. Because of this, I have been able to share my faith.
Unfortunately, there are times when I drop the ball. Years ago, I had a manager ask me why I was always so happy, so I began to tell him about my faith in Christ. When he made the comment though, that he didn't believe a loving God would send people to hell, I found myself without an answer for him. I KNEW the answer, but because his statement threw me for a loop, I found myself baffled. I still to this day, regret not having an answer for him. Maybe if I had been able to explain to him that God allows us the free will to
chose to follow Him, and that it is our own sins and lack of faith in Christ that will cause us to spend eternity in Hell... maybe, just maybe, he would have seen his need for Christ.
This is a very vivid memory for me... I remember that he was eating a fish taco and I was rolling silverware. I remember which table we were seated at as I had this conversation with him... and I remember failing him. That night as I laid in bed, I replayed the conversation and knew I could have given him an answer.
Knowing the answers and being ready to give an answer are two totally different things. This verse says we must sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. How do we do this? Spending time in God's word and praying that God will prepare you to give an answer to every man will allow you to be ready. If HE is not first in your life, than you will be found lacking when the world asks you about the joy that is within you.
Labels: Bible, Weekly Verse
Unfortunately, there are times when I drop the ball. Years ago, I had a manager ask me why I was always so happy, so I began to tell him about my faith in Christ. When he made the comment though, that he didn't believe a loving God would send people to hell, I found myself without an answer for him. I KNEW the answer, but because his statement threw me for a loop, I found myself baffled. I still to this day, regret not having an answer for him. Maybe if I had been able to explain to him that God allows us the free will to chose to follow Him, and that it is our own sins and lack of faith in Christ that will cause us to spend eternity in Hell... maybe, just maybe, he would have seen his need for Christ.