Thursday, January 21, 2010

Patience: Friday January 22

1 Peter 3
"But in your hearts set apart 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."

We have talked about hope that leads us in our patience. Is your hope strong enough in your life that you would have an immediate response to someone that asked you?

The second part of this scripture talks about speaking our hope in a gentle and respectful way. Often, when we are not sure of what we speak, we get defensive or angry when people challenge us. How do you speak about your faith when the matter comes up?

Prayer: Pray that your hope and faith in God becomes stronger than the issues in your life.

2 comments:

theo said...

Wow, the prayer for today is easy to think and assume, but difficult to do in the heat of battle, so to speak. The issues in our lives can become overwhelming at times: illness, death, unemployment, not enough family time, financial concerns, etc. Being a person of faith does help keep life in perspective, but how often do we actually tell people the source of our strength and hope is Jesus Christ? Good reminder and a challenge.

Diana said...

In the past I have been timid and unsure of what to say to people if it came up in conversation. In fact, I would avoid it at all costs like a political conversation. However, now I am finding that I speak honestly saying that I am not sure but am taking steps to finding it out. Even to my toughest Atheist friends I have found myself trying to explain how God is showing himself to me more and more each day as I learn to let go and be open to it. I am very proud of where I am at right now and am looking foward to our Wed group. I like the mix of people and think we will be having some pretty intense services to come!