BEcoming the Hope

1 Peter 3:15, “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.”  (NIV)

Several years ago a speaker by the name of Harvey Austin was at our Middle School giving a motivational talk to the students.  I was quite inspired by his presentation and cornered him afterward in order to pick his brain as I shared with him a dream I had of becoming a motivational speaker. 

I probably spoke with Harvey a grand total of 20 minutes that day, but what he shared with me, I’ve never forgotten.  He said, “Jay if you are going to be a motivational speaker, then you need to be the person you are telling others to become.”  Harvey was basically telling me to walk the walk.

There is a saying, “your actions are so loud, I can hardly hear what you are saying.”  That was what Harvey was talking about and is also what Peter is referring to in the scripture above.

If we say we are being led by Christ then we need to  live a life representative of a life led by Christ which means we try our best to live in a way where our actions mirror the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…Galatians 5:22). 

In order for this to happen we need to daily-die to ourselves, through repentance, prayer and reflection and ask to be resurrected by the power of God through the Holy Spirit.  When we do this simple step on a daily basis, (preferabley first thing in the morning) suddenly we no longer “live” but it is God who is living through us. 

BEcoming the “hope” is a daily process; it is not an event.

P.E.A.C.E.

jay@eaglelaunch.com

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