But in your hearts revere 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.
This verse encourages us to guard our hearts and our speech, and to turn from evil and do good. We are to seek peace and to pursue it, and we are to be consecrated unto God and live godly lives. We are called to be holy even as our Father in heaven is holy, and we are instructed to be sanctified unto God in our hearts by faith, with thanksgiving and praise. But there is one more directive from this verse that we would all do well to note no matter where we live in the world and no matter what our life circumstances may be. As God’s children, we should be ready to answer anyone who asks us about our faith in Christ and our trust in God. We should all be equipped to talk of our blessed hope and the grace of God that gives salvation to whoever will call upon the name of the Lord. We should all be properly prepared and readily inclined to defend the gospel of grace in which we stand. We should be adequately qualified to give an answer for the blessed hope we have in our heart and to share that glorious hope that we have in Jesus. And we are expected to do this in gentleness of spirit, in respect, and in grace.
Spiritual Steve 