January 24, 2018 ARE THEY ASKING
1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who ask you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”
Sanctify means to set apart or declare holy; to consecrate. Most are quick to say that they believe in God and that they are a ‘Christian’, but Christ being Lord of their hearts may be a different issue. It is abundantly clear in the Scriptures that to sanctify, or consecrate Christ as Lord in the heart brings about a radical change. To truly sanctify Christ as Lord of my life means that His purposes over-ride or take precedent over mine. It means that I live for Him, and not for myself. It means that His commands and His wishes are my top priority in life. In essence, since Adam and Eve, the one big issue for mankind has been that of who or what is the lord of the heart. Every individual must make the choice as to whether Christ is the Lord of their heart, or is it self that is lord of the heart. When we read this verse, there is an imposing, indirect question that demands an answer from each of us who confess to being a Christian. Simply put, does our life reflect the hope that comes from Christ being Lord of hearts to the point that others see this hope that we have, and even ask why we have such hope? We must understand the equation: Christ as Lord=hope. If we say that we have sanctified Christ as Lord in our hearts, and yet we are not a person of hope, then we are blind and/or being dishonest with ourselves. Christ being Lord of our heart brings with it certain fruit, one being that of hope. As believers, we have the Spirit of the creator God living in us; we have been made new from the inside out; our God loves us, strengthens us, and comforts us in all difficulties; we have been forgiven of all our sins; and God is our Father. When you think about it, how can we be without hope if God is our Father? The fact that God is our Father has huge implications for us. Some may think that if they sanctify Christ as Lord of their heart, then what they desire becomes second place. And they are exactly right! The same lie that Adam and Eve dealt with is the lie that man must deal with today. The lie is that man should pursue the things that will make him happy instead of trusting God for fulfillment in life. The truth is that only God can satisfy the longing of our hearts. God is not out to rob us of joy, but to fill us with His joy-to bless us and give us abundant life. When we do sanctify Christ as Lord of our heart, our heart is filled with His presence and life takes on a totally new meaning. Let us not hesitate to sanctify Christ as Lord of our heart; let us reject the lie that says that we should seek our own life. When Christ is indeed the Lord of our heart, we will be a people of hope-and others will inquire of this hope.
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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