Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 1 Peter 3:1-2 (NIV)
Peter is speaking to all wives, but he draws particular attention to the situation of a Christian wife whose husband does not believe.
Pastor Warren Wiersbe tells of a lady who used to keep religious radio programs on all evening, usually very loud, so that her unsaved husband would “hear the truth”! Wiersbe says, “She only made it easier for him to leave home and spend his evening with his friends.”
There is a powerful principle here for all of us who are anxious to win a close friend or relative. You have a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, a father or a mother who does not know the Lord. The more resistant they are, the more desperate you feel about trying to win them to Christ.
It is a great mistake to take advantage of a captive audience. Peter has great practical wisdom for us here. Pull back on the words. Use them very sparingly. Speak less. Love more. Your life will speak louder than your words.
Are you taking advantage of a captive audience? Think especially about your family members or even subordinates in the workplace.
