Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
-1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
WHEN I was a teenager, I prayed one day for God to use me to share the good news of Jesus Christ. My opportunity came that evening when I took a bus home. At one stop my desk mate from school boarded the bus. He walked straight to me and sat down beside me. He asked, "Have you secured your life?" I was amazed and happy for the chance to answer that question. I explained that my life is secure in God.
We are not all blessed to be famous evangelists, but each of us has a special story about how our hope and faith in Christ has changed us. God gives us opportunities to share the Good News; our responsibility is to share the hope we have.
God could save humankind without your help or mine, but in most cases God uses people like us to reach out. Who are the people around us who need to know about Jesus? We can trust God to help us share our faith when an opportunity comes -- even on a bus. Be ready!
Dear Lord, help us to see the opportunities you give us for sharing hope, and give us wisdom in how to share it. Guide us as we pray, "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." Amen. [From Luke 11:2-4, NIV]
