The Glory belongs to the Lord
1 Peter 1:11-12 | Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
As we practice setting our minds on things above, as we work at fixing our thoughts and pursuing the peace that Christ offers, we must be careful to remember who is doing the work in us and why that work is happening. We aren’t the ones doing the work and the work that is taking place isn’t to bring glory or attention to ourselves, but to Jesus.
Psalm 115:1 | Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.
It isn’t just for our own benefit that the Holy Spirit works in us; it is to give opportunity for glory and honor to be given to the Lord. His unfailing love and faithfulness are worthy of praise. He steadies our hearts and calms our minds no matter the circumstances. And if our minds are set on Him being renewed and transformed and if our hearts are guarded against sin with His Word hidden inside, our lives are a testimony for others to witness God’s unfailing love and faithfulness and perhaps experience it for themselves.
An unbelieving world is watching and in need of a Savior.
2 Timothy 1:8-10 | So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.
1 Peter 3:15-16 | Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.[a] Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
What is hope?
Who is the source of our hope?
How do we explain the hope we have to unbelievers?