Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15-16 GNT
We are commissioned to share our hope, to share Jesus. Where do we find our targets? It’s not unusual to find people who have never truly shared Jesus with anyone. They have never had the thrill of being the one who has helped another person cross the line to follow Jesus to real life. If they occasionally think about it, they muse that they mostly know other Christians, so there is no real opportunity for them to find anyone who needs to know Jesus.
Peter said the best opportunities come when they find us! He wrote to “God’s chosen people” in provinces around Europe and Asia, urging them to live their lives in love, following the example of Jesus, willing to even suffer for doing good. He said that when we live in that way, the hope or the certain expectation that fills us will be so evident that people will ask us to explain it. The door will be wide open for us to share what Jesus has done for us.
So, the question really is not “where can we find people who need Jesus?” The question is, “Is my life of following Jesus so hope-filled and attractive in this broken and hope-drained world that people notice? And when they notice, am I welcoming, ready, and prepared to tell them the reason I am different? Can I with gentleness and respect share that Jesus is my hope and my reason?”
“Be ready” means be prepared. Know how you can share your story of transforming hope through Jesus. What experiences do you have in common with others that well illustrate the change Jesus has brought?
“At all times” means on good days and bad days, easy days, and hard days, when it’s convenient and when it is not.
“To answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have within you” means that you just live your life in such a consistent, calm, and loving manner despite the chaos in the world around you that you are asked how you do it. How do you parent that way? How do you have such a strong marriage? How do you cope with the diagnosis you just got? How did your grief over the loss of your spouse not sweep you under? How can you forgive him for what he did?
See how that works? You receive Jesus, the Hope of the world. You follow Him and as He transforms your life you are a magnet for people who are needing what you have found – the only sure hope, the only certain expectation, Jesus, the Hope of the world.
- What could raise the attractiveness of your life? Pray about your magnetic pull.