Devotional Song: Go to this link … Please go this video link to hear Steve Green singing the Find Us Faithful, reminding Christians that we have a faith worth contending for and remaining faithful in spite of the challenges we might incur as believers.
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Highlight Passage – NKJV: 1st Peter 3: 15-16 [NKJV] …
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
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Highlight Passage [Context] #1 – NKJV: 1st Peter 3: 8-17 [NKJV] … Go to this link …
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Reference Passages #1: Matthew 5: 14-16 [NKJV] … Go to this link … Jesus challenges His disciples to shine He light in the world …
Reference Passages #2: Acts 17: 10-15 [NKJV] … Go to this link … The Bereans challenged the Apostle Paul’s claims by going to the Scripture …
My Journal for Today: In today’s Our Daily Bread the author relates the story of General Lew Wallace, the famous civil war general who was encountered on a train by Colonel Robert Ingersol, who was an agnostic and challenged Lew Wallace’s faith in Christ. Embarrassed by his inability to defend his faith, Gen. Wallace, went back to the Scriptures and other sources to bolster his witness of Christianity; and the result was the book, Ben Hur - A Tale of the Christ, which was made into an Academy Award winning movie.
The story illustrates an important point to which the Apostle Peter addressed in his letter to the early church and more specifically in the highlight passages copied/linked above where Peter exhorts believers to be able to contend for the faith when we are challenged by those who have questions.
And my journal entry today challenges any reader to BE PREPARED, as the old Boy Scout motto declares, to give an answer when we of faith are challenged. Very early in my new walk with Christ, I was led to a mentor; and the first question he asked me was, “Bill, are you saved?” And when I fumbled to answer but answered somewhat positively, my new mentor challenged me to prove that I was saved to him. I learned that day that any Christian should KNOW they we are saved; and we should be able to defend the reality of our salvation … with evidence.
It has been asked, “If someone indicted you as a Christian, … would there be enough evidence from your life or testimony to convict you?” And I’ve learned that the way we live as Christians and our life story (i.e., testimony) of how believing in Christ changed the way we live is the strongest way to witness to the reality of our faith.
But if you’re challenged by someone claiming to be an atheist or agnostic, and even after hearing your testimony of transformation in Christ, they want to challenge you further, it might be best to refer them to books written by former atheists who were challenged to examine the evidence for Christ and Christianity and became believers because of their examination of the facts. Books like Evidence That Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell; … or Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis: … or the best one in my estimation, The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel; … all were solid defenses of Christianity from men who were staunch unbelievers but all who, after researching and delving deeply into Christ’s claims and His life, as reported in the Bible and by extra-biblical sources, wrote about their surrender in faith to Christianity.
But no matter what others have written, all of us, who call ourselves “Christians” need to be ready to defend our faith in Christ by at least being willing to give a strong testimony about how our faith in Christ guides us on this path we call life. So, fellow Christian, are you ready today to defend your faith?
My Prayer for Today … Lord, I will defend You and testify to anyone how my faith in Your has changed my life! … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread [TGIF], distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read the Our Daily Bread blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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