4-8-15 Biblical Hope
...sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man
that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
1 Peter 3:15
God’s desire for each of us is that we allow Him to be the Lord of our lives. If we, in fact, have given Him the highest priority in the private sanctuary of our innermost beings, we will find ourselves in the continuing
posture of practical worship toward Him.
When God holds first place in our hearts, we will evaluate and regulate all of our thoughts and actions by the scriptural structure of the Word of God. We will take personal responsibility before the God of heaven to make whatever changes are necessary to live out our lives in compliance to His will as clearly revealed in His Holy Word. He alone will hold the supreme priority in our personal focus, goals and practice.
Biblical hope, in its highest form of practical sanctification, prepares us to give a clear and accurate testimony to others. It helps us have communicational excellence with those who desire to understand victory in Christ, as seen lived out in our lives. Practical hope changes the attitudes, behaviors and communications of our individual lives so that they demonstrate sensitivity, integrity and stability.
True biblical hope, communicated freely from a heart that is oriented toward God and others, will have a ripple effect in the lives of others who see it, inquire about it and participate in a personal involvement with its Source, the Lord Jesus Christ.
May God help each one of us to set Him apart in our own hearts, so that we are ready to give a sensitive answer to those who ask a reason of the hope that is within us.
( c) 1992, 2015 N.A.Collins
Limited copy permission for one personal file copy
