Are you ready to give a reason for the hope that is within you?
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and thanks so much for spending these few minutes with me – it always means a lot when we can get together like this. And if you listen to Joni and Friends regularly, you know I like to tackle tough questions, like the one I just asked. Really, what would you say if someone asked you to give reason as to why you believe what you believe about Jesus? In this day and age, we’d better be prepared; we’d better be ready to give a reason for the hope that’s within us. These days, skeptics and cynics love nothing more than to pin us against the wall, like it’s their special calling to try and knock Christians down.
Take my neighbor, Bob. Bob prides himself on his very secular, humanistic way of looking at life, but he comes across as very congenial… he’s a congenial atheist. Bob’s the same neighbor who, when I once asked him if he had a Bible, said, “Nope,” and I said, “Would you like a Bible?” “Nope.” “How about a Bible that’s easy to –” “Nope.” Whenever I try to talk to Bob about Christ, he brushes me off, bless his heart. He’s pleasant enough and a good neighbor and he always waves to me if he sees me in my driveway, but I sometimes think he only tolerates me because of my wheelchair. Anyway, not long ago Bob had to have a knee replacement which landed him in a nursing home for a couple of weeks.
When my husband, Ken, went to see him, he took one of my books. I looked at Ken and said, “My, aren’t you the brave one,” I said, “Bob knows me; he knows what that book’s all about, Ken. You know, he could kick you out of his room.” When Ken returned from seeing Bob, I asked, “How’d it go?” “Not bad,” Ken said. “Bob was really happy that I gave him your book and he said he’s going to read it.” I was absolutely amazed! But then I remembered how God often uses suffering – even a knee replacement – to soften our hearts. Trials have a way of dissipating the shell we put around ourselves; the skepticism and cynicism. As someone once said, “There are no atheists in a foxhole.”
So here’s what I want you to do. You probably know someone like Bob, maybe in your own neighborhood. You’ve witnessed to him and he’s brushed you off or tried to knock your faith down. Well, if that cynic is facing some hardships right now, he just might be in a place to listen. God just might be softening his heart, opening his ears, and he might be willing to hear the reason for the hope that he knows is within you. If so, I’ve got the perfect little booklet I want you to give your neighbor – it’s full of tough questions about the character of God and suffering, as well as answers straight from God’s Word. The booklet is called “Access to God” and there’s even an invitation on the last page for your neighbor to embrace Christ in prayer. It’s an ideal tool for evangelism and you can get your free copy by clicking on joniandfriendsradio.org, again, that’s joniandfriendsradio.org or you can always call toll-free 1-888-522-5664 and just ask for the free booklet “Access to God.” Finally, I just want to say thank you for being willing to give people like Bob good reasons for the eternal hope that you have in your heart. Thank you for caring about them. And who knows? One day they might even join you in listing to Joni and Friends! Until next time, I’m going to be praying for your neighbor and praying for you that you might share that hope that is within you. God bless you. This is Joni Eareckson Tada.
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