Be Prepared

But in your hearts revere 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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:15&16

I remember, way back, when I was a Boy Scout in Ocean Grove, our motto, together with every other boy scout, was, ” Be Prepared”. It was, and still is, a great axiom.

Peter challenges Christians with the same motto. “Be Prepared” to give an account of your faith with a grace that reflects Christ. Our calling is to reflect him – not C11th crusaders. Christians often find it difficult to “witness”. We see here that the clearest witness is our own lives; our relationships, marriage, family and so on. If someone were to ask us why our marriage works or our kids are on the straight and narrow, wouldn’t it be relatively easy to give glory to God?

Giving a clear and gracious account of our faith begins with the way we live our lives. The implied challenge of course, is to be distinct from the world. Now there is the rub!