A Prepared Heart

Scripture: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to every man who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and fear. Have a good conscience so that evildoers who speak evil of you and falsely accuse your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 1 Peter 3:15-16

Observation: As Peter is giving instructions to the early believers about their thoughts and behavior, this collection of verses summarize a specific theme. That theme is that faith begins in our hearts, exhibited by how we treat others. Those "others" may include our spouses, other believers, non-believers, strangers, and even those who lash out and attack us.

However, if we love God - sanctify the Lord in our hearts - then we will behave rightly toward others. This behavior will carry into our words. We will be able to respond to those who challenge our faith, whether they do so through simple questioning of our hope in life, or even if the challenge us in a menacing and aggressive manner. The faith in our hearts will guide our conscious thoughts, our gentle demeanor, and prepared words.

Application: Sanctifying the Lord in my heart seems a lot like meditating on his word day and night. This is about thinking about God, and preparing ourselves through simply studying his teachings. When we are prepared, we a calm and can respond calmly to others, without anxiety and stress.

In my times of contemplation, I do wish to turn to God more often. This is a practice I fail at ... but at least I think about it more often. I would love to go from "failing" to "succeeding sometimes". I would like to turn my nighttime thoughts away from alternative lives and my failings, to the word of God and his love, instruction, guidance, and examples. I think Peter is providing one concrete way of doing this - to think on how you will respond to people who ask about your faith. There are many other daily activities I could think through and apply God's word in my mind. This could be a good method of introducing God's words into my meditations.

Prayer: Oh Lord my God, may my heart and mind be filled with you this day and every day. Your beauty and majesty surrounds me this day. May my mind be fixed upon your, your love, and your word. I may get questioned, I may get attacked, or I may get maligned. May I in return have patience, kind words, and a disposition worth of you. Amen.