Fishing Lesson #2

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, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. - I Peter 3:15-16

While we're on the subject of fishing, and we've established that we actually have to go look for fish where the fish ARE, we ought to talk about bait. If you're fishing, you can't just toss a hook and a line out there and hope some fish likes the hook. No one likes a hook!

If all we have to offer the world is criticism, pointing fingers, and a list of rules (a list which most people are sure are impossible and also would take the fun out of life), then it's no wonder that no one is listening to us. The world offers plenty of criticism...and no grace. It's not hard to find someone to point out your flaws...but it is rare to find someone who will point out that you are loved. And everywhere people go there are different rules. Contrary to the way most of us behave, whether it's how we actually believe or not, legalism and rules are not the selling points of Christianity.

Peter tells us to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. Have we done that? If so, is He THE Lord, or just one of a few other lords in out hearts? The rest of the verse, about being prepared to answer for the hope that you have, is a logical extension of that. If Christ is Lord of your heart, then the next logical result is that you will have hope. You'll have hope because you know who the Lord is, not just Lord of your heart but of your future and ultimately of the entire universe, and you'll trust Him and know that there is something to hope for. And that hope will shine brightly so that other people can see it.

In a world as dark as ours, real hope - not just optimism - is very rare, and people who have real hope stand out. You can't have hope and be able to NOT stand out. People are looking for hope, and if you have it, then they are going to want it. That's the bait. People will see there's something different about you.

Peter says have a defense ready - because people are going to ask you about it. It says to "everyone who asks you"...not just "in case someone asks you". It's going to happen if you are living in hope because people will be curious what's up with you. Your behavior will not make sense to them. So why are more Christians not living lives that make people wonder? That goes back to the first of the verse. "Set apart Christ as Lord." If we don't do that...then we don't have anything worth wondering about.