DAY 11 CHRISTMAS GOOD NEWS: A REASON FOR HOPE
If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. (1 Peter 3:15)
Peter wrote to Christians in the first century who were experiencing a local wave of persecution. The fact that he urged his readers to avoid persecution by doing good suggests that some of them may have been causing unnecessary trouble. But he assured the believers who were making positive contributions to society and still suffering that they would be rewarded. God does not let the sacrifices of his people go to waste in his Kingdom.
In the midst of this encouragement— to avoid trouble but to suffer well when trouble is unavoidable—Peter made a remarkable statement. He urged his readers to be ready to answer whenever someone asks why they have such hope. The clear implications of this statement are that hope is visible in those who believe, and when having such an attitude doesn’t seem to fit the circumstances, it is worth asking about. In other words, he expected his readers to be noticeably hopeful in the face of adversity and for others to be baffled by what they saw. That way, whenever that curious situation provoked a conversation, Christians would be able to explain where their lives were truly anchored.
In the Bible, hope is never just wishful thinking, as so many understand it when using the word today. It is the expectation of a certainty—something that hasn’t happened on the timeline of history yet but undoubtedly will. That confidence in God’s future plan will anchor our lives in the reality of his Kingdom, but it will mystify those around us. When they ask— and they will when adverse circumstances throw our hope into stark relief— we need to have an answer. We may never need to explain the gifts God has given us, the skills we have, or the knowledge we have, but we will need to explain our hope. It points to another realm, and some of the people God has put in our lives are eager to see it.
Lord, I do want my hope to be visible in every situation— especially the hard times. Make my attitude so striking to others that they ask why I have it. Then give me words that point clearly to the reality of your Kingdom. Amen.
This excerpt is from The One Year Salt and Light devotional by Chris Tiegreen, available at OMF Lit Bookshops, shop.omflit.com, Shopee, and Lazada for P365.
This year, learn to bring the light & hope of Christ into your home, your community & your world.
Scripture calls us to be the salt of the earth and lights in the world―preserving, flavoring, brightening, and warming the lives of those around us. But too often, it seems the world is getting more and more closed off to the hope and promise of faith. How do we bring the light of Christ to the world around us, showing His love to the people who need it the most?