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Get Real November 11 Devotional

by David Joynt on November 11, 2024


1 PETER 3:15 | 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.

This famous verse gives us a second criteria for authentic witness: readiness. A real witness prepares to share. Representing Jesus is not a part-time job! There is no moment when we stop doing so, no temporary break, no hiatus, no vacation from being His ambassador.

 

Further, perpetual readiness is apt because we can’t know in advance when a conversation will take a spiritual turn, or when we will be given an insight into someone’s spiritual needs. Whenever these chances occur, we are to be prepared for direct testimony about the gospel itself or our experience of Jesus’ salvation. We get ready by understanding the gospel, praying for the people of our lives, and practicing.

 

How ready are you for the next opportunity?

 

 

Gracious God,

Open my lips that I can share Your praise. Help me to see the spiritual needs and hear the spiritual questions of people around me. Help me get ready.

Amen.

 

About the Author
David Joynt

Dave Joynt began his service as a pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley, Arizona in September 2014. This meant a move away from the Northeast, where he has a long history, growing up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and then serving congregations in Delaware and New Jersey for a total of 23 years.

Dave was nurtured in a great church in Bethlehem where his parents, Anne and Carey, served as elders. He graduated in classics from Lehigh University where his Father taught, and then from Oxford, where he met his wife Julia. Ordained in 1988, he completed a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1993.

He and Julia have a son, Tristan, and a daughter, Madeleine.

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