15 “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.”
1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
It is not news to you that you need to prepare well to play well. You have heard that from coaches your whole life. Preparation forces us to think through different scenarios and how we may respond. It forces us to train in a specific way. We can have confidence when the competition starts because we have prepared well.
Athlete, preparation is not just an athletic concept, it is a biblical one. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us:
“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.”
Did you catch that? Always be ready. For what? To give a defense (or an answer) for the hope that you have. If someone asks you why you pray before a game, are you ready to tell them why? If a teammate asks you if you are a Christian, what do you say? More importantly, if they ask you why you believe what you believe, how would you respond?
Are you prepared to answer these questions? Athlete, you bring God glory when you prepare well for your sport. How much more so, when you prepare to answer questions with eternity at stake. Take some time today and think through how you would respond.
