Set Apart Christ as Lord

"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." 1 Peter 3:15

Peter reminds us that everything we are and everything we do should point to Christ - our words, actions, decisions, attitudes, and responses. As the apostle Paul declared, "To live is Christ…" (Philippians 1:21). Christ is to be supreme in are doing and our being.

Living for Christ means continually denying ourselves and exalting Him, not only through what we do, but through who we are becoming.

We love to see Christ exalted through the miraculous, as He was in Acts 3 when the lame man was healed. Yet such extraordinary moments may be few compared with the daily opportunities we have to reveal Christ through ordinary life. We should never forget that God still does the miraculous. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Keep praying, believing, and asking Him to do what seems impossible.

At the same time, the fruit of the Spirit displayed in daily life gives us countless opportunities to share the gospel. People see Christ when we respond with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. A Spirit-formed life often opens the door for others to ask about the hope within us.

So ask God to do the amazing, and when He does, use those moments to proclaim Christ. But in the waiting - and in the ordinary rhythms of life - allow the Holy Spirit to shape your character.

Pray that God will be seen in the miraculous. Live so that Christ will be seen in the everyday.

With Gratitude, Pastor Jesse