In The Word – Always Ready
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
and be ready always to give an answer to every man that
asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”, 1 Peter
3:15. This verse has always intrigued
me. It implies that people will ask you
about your faith, your salvation, your hope. For people to ask Christians about the best
thing in our lives, they have to see something in us that makes them want to
know more about it. What makes us
different? Why do we handle trials,
tribulations, and temptations differently than those non-Christians around us?
How do we prompt questions from our
friends, families, and co-workers? Peter
says the first thing we need to do is to “sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts”. What does it mean to
“sanctify”? According to the Strong’s
Dictionary, sanctify means to “make holy”, “consecrate”, or “purify”. If the world can see that we are sanctifying
the Lord, that will be different than most of the people they come into contact
with and it will prompt questions.
When the questions come, Peter said
to “be ready always”. “Ready always,” this simply means to be prepared! Do not allow questions about your faith to
catch you off guard. I’m not talking about some deep theological questions that
your pastor would have a hard time answering. I’m talking about the common questions. For example, “Why do you think you have to go
to church every Sunday?”, or “It’s Monday, why are you in such a good mood”? Then, write down your testimony – your story
of salvation. If you are comfortable
with your testimony, you will be more likely to share it. The word “asketh” translates to beg, crave,
or desire. We have something the world
has a desire for; a relationship with the God of the universe. It behooves us to be able and ready to fill
those desires.
Warren Wiersbe had this to say
about this passage, “When Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, each crisis
becomes an opportunity for witness. We
are “ready always to give an answer.” Our
English word apology comes from the Greek word translated “answer,”
but it does not mean “to say I am sorry.” Rather, it means “a defense presented
in court.” “Apologetics” is the branch
of theology that deals with the defense of the faith. Every Christian should be
able to give a reasoned defense of his hope in Christ, especially in
hopeless situations. A crisis creates the opportunity for witness when a
believer behaves with faith and hope, because the unbelievers will then sit up
and take notice”. When we do this humbly
and in fear of the Lord, it will change lives forever.
Elder Tim White
Ider, Alabama
