WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY?
Be ready at any time to give a quiet and reverent answer to any man who wants a reason for the hope that you have within you. 1 Peter 3:15, Phillips.
Responsibility. The word itself brings a sense of weight to most people, perhaps because of the way it is usually used. "It's your responsibility!" comes the directive--to clean up the garage, to walk the dog, to mow the lawn. "Who's responsible for this?"someone asks tersely. You get sweaty palms, hoping it's not you.
I like words. Many people tend to run through conversation like someone running to catch a bus. Their main objective is to "get there," not to notice, as it were, the little flowers peeking through the grass. Take our word, responsibility. It legitimately could be spelled response-ability, suggesting the ability to respond properly. Viewed in this light, it suddenly seems like a very desirable quality to possess. I think that is exactly what God has in mind for each of us.
Our Father intends for us to become wonderfully able to respond to every individual with whom we come in contact. Not in order that the record books in heaven will be filled with good marks, but so that the people in our lives can be surrounded continuously by the same healing love that has made us whole.
With this in mind, let's take a fresh look at today's text. We are told, "Be ready at any time to give a quiet and reverent answer to any man who wants a reason for the hope that you have within you." If you have felt uneasy and trapped by these words, if you have felt inadequate and condemned because you don't think you have enough "proof texts" in your mind to meet the requirements of such an encounter, take heart! Your Father's biddings are His enablings. Built right into this scripture is the key to how it is to be accomplished.
Only when our hearts are filled with hope do we have anything to say to anyone. The hope we have is in God--more specifically, in who He is and in the friendship we share with Him. Having such hope gives us not only confidence but the ability and the desire to respond when we are asked about it, because it gives us an opportunity to share the most wonderful experience of our lives: knowing and loving our loving Father!
Be ready at any time to give a quiet and reverent answer to any man who wants a reason for the hope that you have within you. 1 Peter 3:15, Phillips.
Responsibility. The word itself brings a sense of weight to most people, perhaps because of the way it is usually used. "It's your responsibility!" comes the directive--to clean up the garage, to walk the dog, to mow the lawn. "Who's responsible for this?"someone asks tersely. You get sweaty palms, hoping it's not you.
I like words. Many people tend to run through conversation like someone running to catch a bus. Their main objective is to "get there," not to notice, as it were, the little flowers peeking through the grass. Take our word, responsibility. It legitimately could be spelled response-ability, suggesting the ability to respond properly. Viewed in this light, it suddenly seems like a very desirable quality to possess. I think that is exactly what God has in mind for each of us.
Our Father intends for us to become wonderfully able to respond to every individual with whom we come in contact. Not in order that the record books in heaven will be filled with good marks, but so that the people in our lives can be surrounded continuously by the same healing love that has made us whole.
With this in mind, let's take a fresh look at today's text. We are told, "Be ready at any time to give a quiet and reverent answer to any man who wants a reason for the hope that you have within you." If you have felt uneasy and trapped by these words, if you have felt inadequate and condemned because you don't think you have enough "proof texts" in your mind to meet the requirements of such an encounter, take heart! Your Father's biddings are His enablings. Built right into this scripture is the key to how it is to be accomplished.
Only when our hearts are filled with hope do we have anything to say to anyone. The hope we have is in God--more specifically, in who He is and in the friendship we share with Him. Having such hope gives us not only confidence but the ability and the desire to respond when we are asked about it, because it gives us an opportunity to share the most wonderful experience of our lives: knowing and loving our loving Father!
RSS Feed
