1 Peter 3:2 - “Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.” (NLT)
Okay, so in this verse, Peter is talking to wives about submitting to their husbands, and telling them what to do if their husbands are not believers. However, I think we can gleam something from this, even if we aren’t married.
Some people don’t want to accept the Good News about Jesus. It can be hard for us to share Christ with people like this; it can feel like you just keep hitting a brick wall over and over. Sometimes you feel like you’ll never see them give their lives to Jesus. But God is the God of impossible things! Just remember that.
Often, sometimes, the most effective way we can share our love for Christ with others is to live as Jesus calls us too. We need to be an example of Jesus. We need to be following His way, reading and studying His Word. Lean on the Holy Spirit to guide you. Don’t conform to the patterns of this world, seeking to be like everyone else, trying to fit in with unbelievers (Romans 12:2). Live for eternity. We are not going to be standing before any of our peers and giving an account of our lives here on earth and what we did with what God entrusted to us. We are going to stand before God, not our friends. And I promise, whether you believe in Jesus or not, you will stand before Him one day, and you will bow down and confess that He is Lord. Eternity is your destination. Eternity is your home.
Don't just say that you are a Christian, act like one. We are called to share with others the Gospel of Christ (gospel means "good news"). We can't testify that we know Jesus and then go live like everyone else. I used to be one of these people. I wanted the benefits of being a Christian (eternal life, blessings, etc.) without having to give anything up. I wanted to follow my selfish ways and have full control over the direction I went in life. I didn't want to have to give up my 'autonomy.' I was a lukewarm Christian, until God rescued me. But, I had to be willing to let Him save me. He is not going to do it out of force. He wants you, He wants your trust, your life, your heart, but He is not going to force you to serve Him. Why? Because He loves you, and has given you a free will. It's up to you what you choose to do with it. You can serve yourself all of your days, or you can serve the One who created you, who died for you.
“And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” - 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT). This way, people know where you get your joy from. True joy, that can only come from knowing Jesus Christ. People are longing for this joy. It is a longing placed in the heart of every single man (Ecclesiastes 3:11). But they don't want to give up their selfish ways. They still want full control over their lives. But, I promise, I speak from knowing, that chasing after the things of this world and trying to fulfill every fleshly desire will not gain you joy. No, true joy comes from knowing Him. And if we as Christians, don't express our joy of knowing Christ Jesus, how do we expect others to want it? If we are always complaining, griping, depressed, downtrodden, why would anyone want that? I think a lot of Christians look over the fact that in Jesus we have victory. WE HAVE VICTORY, HALLELUJAH! Victory over death, sickness, and Satan. We have authority over Satan and his demons. We don't have to listen to them, we don't have to buy into the Enemy's lies. We don't have to walk around sad and beaten down all of the time. Instead, we have an eternal hope, and a promise (the Holy Spirit). Our hope does not lie in what the world gives or the circumstances around us, but it is a hope that is secure, a hope that won't fade with time. This hope is eternal life spent with Christ Jesus our King, when there will be no more pain or sorrow, no more tears, no more depression, no more sin. We will receive our blessed hope and eternal bodies and live in perfect peace. I am looking forward to this more and more every days. Let's turn our eyes to the One who has given us new life! Let's get into His Word, write it upon our hearts, keep it with us always.
Be an example of Christ.
