BIRTH OF A LIVING HOPE

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  1 Peter 1:3-9     

I’ve walked through some trials in my life; even now, I find myself in the midst of them.  I wish they weren’t there, but God wants me to know through His Word that these trials are important to my spiritual development.    

Through these trials, I discover HOPE.  In the midst of a trial, I see God’s Perspective: He works in my life to show Himself to me.  The hope He offers is a living hope that He has given me an eternal 

inheritance.  

If I focus on His eternal perspective instead of my circumstance, I will experience joy.  This joy causes me to re-joy-ce…to re-live that joy over and over, day after day.  That joy fuels my faith, producing genuine love for Christ that I can share with those He has placed around me.  His joy, hope, and love daily assure me of my salvation.   

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS 

This life is not about what I want, or the control I think I have.  It’s about Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, pronouncing that the very things I am going through today are for a reason, and while I don’t know the reason, the outcome will benefit my soul by lavishing me with love, hope, and joy. 

What will I do with these things now that God put these all-powerful and life-changing attributes in my heart?  I need to share these things with others so they can feel this same power I feel today.     

Lord, my soul is hungry and famished.  Feed me with the spiritual bread of Your living hope.  Strengthen my faith through trials, fill me with joy in Your presence, and anchor me in Your eternal love.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.