“And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye; And be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:13-15
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
I am not going to lie—Loving Christ is not always a walk in the park. So many people feel hostile toward anyone who truly believes the Bible. It used to make me feel defensive and angry, but after considering the scope of things, it now makes me sad. I know deep in my heart, that if I were to die today I would not be fearful of where my soul would go. I am not a saint (by any means) but the hope I have relies on someone much more reliable than my “good” (Actually, not-so-very-good) nature. My hope relies on something that happened two thousand years ago: JESUS. He was perfect, He was sinless, He suffered, died on the cross, paid for the world’s sins, went to hell for three days and night and rose again–VICTORIOUS! This is the God I worship and trust, and I pray for all those who don’t know what they believe or even why they believe it—I challenge you to look into the concept of God loving you so much that He took the time and went through the trouble to send a part of Himself to suffer on our behalf. So many people have a hard time accepting this concept of love as they have never had anyone sacrifice ANYTHING for them. Take the time to search for God with all your heart, and when He encompasses you with His love, don’t run away because it feels unfamiliar to you. Relax and let His love heal you from the inside out. This is what will carry you on the days when everyone screams “There is NO HOPE!” You will then know a hope the world cannot understand.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your mercy. The kind of love that you have given is the kind of love so many are not accustomed to. In this world, there is nothing for free, everything comes at a cost. But, the most precious gift of all–eternal life comes as a free gift, because YOU paid the price for us. Lord, lift the blinders of the ones who wish to have a hope, but have given up long ago. There is more to life than materialism, status and trifle entertainment. There is substance and value to WHO we are and WHY we are here, but we will never find this without finding YOU first. In the name of Jesus, I speak healing to broken hearts, shattered dreams and hopeless situations. Jehovah Rappha–heal all of those that need you and have just a mustard seed of faith to believe in something better. May they stop believing in anything other than you. Amen.”