In The Spirit

DEVOTION 1 PETER IN THE SPIRIT 1 Peter 3:13-16 13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. NIV The Word of God always sets people apart from others. Those who believe are different from those who do not believe, and in some cases those unbelieving people would slander and attempt to discredit those who believe. The unbeliever may even attempt to cause some kind of harm, perhaps not in the physical sense in our cultural but in the emotional or social sense. Why do they dislike us so much? Does our faith threaten them? If they do like us, maybe it is because we are not that different them. But if we are living out the Word of God in our lives and are living with this hope of eternal life and do not fear death or anything which would cause harm to us, even in a social sense, they will surely have a certain distain for us, for they fear what they do not know. They fear life itself, and all the complications and troubles it could bring, they work so hard trying to develop a secure life, a secure future, striving for what they think will keep them safe. We have nothing to fear of life, and all its problems, for we serve a higher power who has secured our future, our eternal future. What can man do to us that would cancel that out? We have such a security in Christ that anything man could say or do against us means nothing. But at the same time we should always be ready to share our faith, the reason we live with such joy, even in the difficulties of life. We should always have the Word of God on the tip of our tongue. Sure they may not like to hear our answer as it even may make them dislike us all the more, but if we say it with love and respect, not is a harsh and authoritative manner, just maybe they will hear the words. It goes back to do not repay evil with evil here. We need to stay the course of life in Christ, sharing the Gospel in gentleness and with love even in the face of strong opposition. That may be their ultimate goal anyway, to get us to become violent in nature, argumentative, anger that they will not listen or do not believe the Word. We know who we are, and we should be strong in the Spirit, but gentle in the world, giving them nothing to slander. We need to live in the Spirit.