“But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you.”
There will come a time when others will ask you, “why are you so hopeful, why do you see a future for the world?” It will be important to have an answer. People need to know why we are hopeful. Blind hope is not an answer, our hope needs to be grounded in reality, and our reality is Jesus, because, as followers of Jesus, there is no other alternative but to be hopeful. If there is a lack of hope, a lack of trust in God, it means that we are not truly following Jesus. God makes promises that he doesn’t break, and when Jesus walked the earth, he made promises to us too. Peter is confident in this when he writes, “For in him every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes.’ For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’, to the glory of God.” (2Cor 1:20)
Someone will look at your radiant face, and your heart full of joy and say, “What have you got to be so happy about?” How do you answer? Even if you are going through troubles and unhappiness in your life, your inner self stays positive and joyous, because you are a faithful follower of our Lord. The simple and unequivocal answer to that question is, “Because Jesus promises me eternal life in him, and I have Jesus to take all my troubles to. Jesus loves me because he said so, and Jesus doesn’t lie.” The sure promise of eternal life with the one true God who loves you unconditionally means that hope is a natural consequence. Jesus tells us that everything is going to be okay; you don’t need any more proof or any more convincing.
Peter encourages us to defend our position of hopefulness, without fear or feelings of intimidation. If we have sanctified Jesus in our hearts, if we have made him our treasure and if he is the most highly elevated one in our lives, then there is nothing to worry about when someone asks us to validate our faith and trust in God’s goodness. Jesus our Lord is our answer.
Tell Out My Soul 
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