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A HEART IN WHICH GOD IS SANCTIFIED (V)
LORD’S DAY, MAY 16
1 Peter 3:15

Acts 17:10-12

 

“…be ready always…”

 

A HEART IN WHICH GOD IS SANCTIFIED (V)
 
Our preparation to give an answer (continued). The second of our preparation mentioned by the Apostle Peter is to be “ready always” (1 Pet 3:15). This spirit of constant readiness has important implications for the convictions that ought to be found in a heart where God is sanctified ‒ it means that we must have settled convictions. We must have thought things out and worked through them ourselves such that we are clear in our own minds. We know what the issues are in the world around us, after all; and if we really believe that God’s Word speaks to these issues, we cannot be content with ignorance, or a superficial knowledge of what the Bible says. Nor can we afford simply to borrow what others have said: we must have worked it out for ourselves!
 
This does not mean that we cannot learn from others, but whatever we learn, we must as it were make them our own. The Berean Christians are a good example of this (Acts 17:11). They were very ready to learn, and did not approach Paul’s preaching with anything like a skeptical attitude! But they did make sure of everything themselves, from Scripture, so that their convictions were firmly grounded in God’s Word.
 
This is important because God’s people are called to be witnesses, not to some vague ideals, but to a very definite truth. And our witness cannot merely be verbal: “be ready always to give an answer” implies that we have been living out these convictions in our own lives. Take for instance the Apostle Paul’s testimony recorded in Acts 22 and 26. Clearly, that is a man who really believes what he is saying; a man whose own life has been transformed by the message he preaches. Dear reader, that note of genuine conviction will be noticed by the people who hear you speak and watch you live! And if that note is missing, the whole symphony, however brilliant it may be technically, will sound flat and dull, and it will ultimately have very little impact.
 
Let us have a heart directed by the fear of God, filled with love for Him, knowledge of His Word, conviction of its truth; and a life transformed and now entirely conformed to biblical principles.
 
THOUGHT: Are my convictions genuine and grounded in Scripture?

PRAYER: Father, help me to be ready always to give an answer.

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