"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

We should be ready to share the hope that Jesus has given us with others. But when we communicate this hope, two things are important: our credibility and whether we honestly believe that Jesus is Lord of our hearts. Do we approach others with decency and respect when attempting to persuade them? Instead of winning disputes, the goal is to win people over to God.

Having Jesus as our Lord doesn't mean we should force this important truth on everyone else. People who have Jesus as their Lord are kind and treat others with respect. Jesus cared enough about other people to die for them. Jesus even asked for forgiveness for those who put Him on the cross and laughed at Him as He died. Having this kind of Lord means we are ready to talk about why we put our hope in Him when we get the chance. Even though people around us may not seem interested, many of them are looking for something they haven't yet found. Let's be ready for them to meet Jesus when the time is right.

How do we share our faith effectively, especially in places where faith is not welcome? First, we give our hearts over to Christ, who is Lord. Second, we put together a talk about our faith that focuses on how Jesus is our hope. Lastly, when we tell other people why we have hope, we do it with respect and in a gentle way. We can't share our faith with others if we don't live our faith in a way that makes an impact on those around us.

We should be ready and able to tell other people about the hope Jesus has given us. But two things are important when we share this hope: our credibility—Is Jesus really Lord of our hearts?—and our character—Do we persuade with gentleness and respect? The goal isn't to win arguments, but to win hearts to God.