Thursday’s Verse:
From 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV)
“Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
Last week I wrote about a man at the cancer center who “got my goat.” Not to spend too much time retelling the tale, the man was an atheist who got under my skin. Was it right for me to speak up in a non-pastoral way? No.
We all speak to people who are not believers in Jesus Christ. When it comes to your faith, how do you speak about believing in Jesus Christ, Son of God, born of Mary, suffered and died on a cross outside of Jerusalem to pay for my sins and three days later rose from the dead?
Each of us wants to defend our faith to the maximum, don’t we? There may be a moment where we want to either belittle, make fun of, or downplay the other person’s non-belief and urge them to believe in Jesus.
Yet we have to remember that we are to love our neighbors. Ridiculing them doesn’t help.
As Lutherans, we know we didn't work for God's love. We didn't work hard enough to be smart enough to believe. There is nothing we can brag about when it comes to being saved by God. So we can have humility when standing before the cross.
We can listen to what they have to say. Maybe even ask why they believe what they believe. We can hear their response without knowing everything about that person's situation. We can ask questions that we don't know the answer to as well.
We don't have to hide our faith. We are to give a reason for our hope. But we can do that without being disrespectful. We can share about Jesus Christ who died for us and rose again. That we also are saved by mercy.
Live by faith. Three words I’ve yapped about throughout my ministry. When faced with a person’s hostility towards our faith, we may be tempted to punch them in the face, but our faith reminds us that our Lord wants us to turn the other cheek in those challenging moments. We are compelled to continue to share our faith boldly.
Today’s Prayers
Merciful Father, please forgive us for our pride. Help us stand in the grace that Jesus gave us. Allow us to listen to our neighbor. Give us the courage to speak the truth of Your love and grace through Jesus and love them. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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