Daily Bread_February 3, 2015

Title: How Content Are You With the Reason for Your Hope?

Text:

1 Peter 3:15-16 (HCSB)
¹⁵ but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
¹⁶ However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame. 

Observation:

The one word for today is reason. I was inspired to write on this topic by a devotional by Oswald Chambers that I read recently.

Reflection Questions: Am I content to give a reason for my hope or do I insist that my reason should be enough for someone else? Why do I have so little patience with the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of others? 

This is my response upon reflection:

I have a hope for my reason and that hope is Jesus. He is my Savior and my friend. I have a personal relationship with him. 

The Word of God and the Spirit of God give witness that He is mine and I am his. I'm am the recipient of so many of his blessings. 

I have learned to depend upon him and his Word. By his Word,the Holy Spirit, and his abiding presence he is forming in me his character. 

My reason may not be enough for others, but I am so glad that it is enough for my Lord. I trust in the Holy Spirit of God to do his office work in the lives of others. It is more effectual for me to pray for them than to persuade them.

Prayer: 

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful that the reason for my hope is because of my faith and confidence in Jesus, and the will and ways of God as revealed in God's Word.

Father God, I delight in telling others of the reason for my hope, but I have no interest in trying to reason with those who do not believe. Father, I am content to share with them the Word, and leave the work of convicting and convincing  to the Holy Spirit of God; that is His office work. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

 

--

Matthew 4:4 (HCSB)
⁴ But He answered, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
⁸ Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.

My blog: Sharing the Word of God Daily:

http://herbcotton.blogspot.com/