1 Peter 3:15-17
But regard the Lord, the Christ, as holy in your hearts. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you. But speak with gentleness and respect, while maintaining a clear conscience, so that those who attack your good way of life in Christ may be put to shame because they slandered you as evildoers.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending us Your holy, innocent Son, through whom You demonstrated Your love for us. We often forget what love truly is because we see it simply as a feeling we have for others. But love is so much more than feelings; it involves humbling ourselves to lift others when they struggle, offering a helping hand, not judging them when they make mistakes, and providing comfort when they are sad. Love means accepting someone at their worst and lifting them up, which does not mean accepting their sins as okay, but pointing them to the cross when they sin so they know to repent of their iniquities.
Because of our unloving thoughts that lead to unkind words and selfish actions—all part of our sinful nature—all our sins separate us from You. Therefore, You established Your salvation plan to restore us; this plan is the hope we have of eternal life. You demonstrated Your great love by sending Your Son to die on the cross, and He took all our loveless sins into Himself, and His love covers all our sins. Your gift for all people, which requires nothing from us; however, it is received by each person through faith in Your Son, our Savior, Jesus.
By faith, each believer is restored to You, and all believers are given the promise of heaven and eternal life; this is our hope. Let us always be prepared to share our hope, which is Your love, with those around us, and we pray that Your Holy Spirit will work in them to ignite their faith and enable them to receive Your gift of eternal life. Amen.
Written through Pastor Roger Emmons
God desires to restore the souls of unbelievers so that they can receive His forgiveness and love through faith. The greatest love you can show them is sharing the truth about God – He wants you to trust the love He has for you and that He longs for you to be with Him in heaven forever.