Clean Conduct

“…But do this with gentleness and respect.” - 1 Peter 3:15

Throughout my ministry, I have dealt with skeptics, atheists; people that despise Christianity, hate the Bible, and think we are all hypocrites or lunatics. I used to think it was my job to win every argument; but I finally realized you could win the battle but lose the war. A Christian’s job is not to win the argument; it is to win the heart.

Whenever we defend our Christian faith, whenever we stand up for our convictions, whenever we speak the truth, we should always do it in love, humility, gentleness, kindness and graciousness. No matter how much we are disrespected, we must never be disrespectful. We must take other people seriously, whether they take us seriously or not. Why? Because people matter to God.

I have never seen anyone bullied into the kingdom of God. It might take you a long time to earn a hearing from someone that you are trying to bring to Jesus…maybe even years. But that opportunity can be lost in seconds.

Always remember, people will always look at how you act before they will listen to what you say.

Dear Lord, teach me to balance the hard truth of your Scripture with the grace that abounds. Give me boldness to share you Gospel, but help me to always share the Gospel in love. Amen.