Ready to Rumble… With Gentleness and Reverence!
1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
Am I always ready?
To make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account?
For the hope that is in me…
I would like to claim YES, I am ALWAYS ready. But alas, the I in me, knows it would be a fib. I, the one who writes this blog, is not a quick thinker. I love, love, love to have fellowship with my brother and sister hearts who sanctify Christ as Lord of our hearts. I am ALWAYS ready for a sibling love fest!
But a defense… an account… a face to face, live, question/answer session with anyone who asks me about the who/what/where/when and how for the hope that is in me? I am hardly ever ready! I am “Moses Ready”. Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)
After all these years, it is still very embarrassing when I have to confess I’m NOT ready for prime time! Just like Moses, my first thought when I receive direction from God, is all about me. All about the me that I am right now! All about the me that just needs a little tweaking by God to make me who He’s always known me to be.
Just a little tweaking… get ready, Mary! No, not GET ready…
BE READY!
Sanctify (set apart as or declare holy; consecrate – “New Oxford American Dictionary”) Christ as Lord in your heart! Not just a little piece – your WHOLE heart!
Then… when you are asked to give an account for the hope that is in you… make a defense (1. the action of defending from or resisting attack – 2. the case presented by or on the behalf of the party being accused – “New Oxford American Dictionary”).
Always ready to… WHAT!?
I have always been under the impression that this verse is evangelism 101. Always be ready to spread the gospel, the good news of great joy, to people who have come to hear you tell it! But the word here is about being taken to court as the defendant. You’re on the witness stand,
“Mary, tell the court WHY Christ is the Lord of your heart. What is the this hope you hold for your future?”
DEFEND your hope! In the world’s court which is not a court of love. It is a court of hate… John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
We are at war! If truth be told, THIS is what I (and many of our dearly beloved) are not ready for. We sit in our pews with the masks of “happy! happy!” on, thinking that this is the life Jesus died to give us.
Yeah, I’m always ready for The Good Life!
Unfortunately… I’m almost never ready to RUMBLE! See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)
In this world of hate, there is a great need for an account for the hope that is in you, just know, though it is fighting the good fight, it is a battle against evil, who wishes to devour goodness.
Therefore, Suit Up! take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:13)
Stand Firm! Having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17)
Speak the Word which is Christ Who dwells within! For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Colossians 2:9-12)
Yet, with gentleness and reverence! When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)
I’ll admit, it’s not a testimony of peace and harmony and pretty pictures and health and wealth and happy happy. If that is the HOPE that is in you, I strongly suggest you not try to defend yourself and/or the god of such hope. If that is the promise you base your defense on, join the world. For the time will come (it’s here and it’s now) when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
But if your testimony is Christ is Lord no matter the who/what/when/where/how… if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
You will ALWAYS be ready to give an account of the hope that is in you!
You will be Ready to Rumble!
**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.