My 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–kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4)

We have a tremendous opportunity to take every breath in praise to our Father God.  He is the only One who gives us the air we breathe, the brain that makes it possible for our body to function, the heart that pumps the blood through us, and most of all He gave His Son so we might experience eternal life with Him in Heaven one day.  God did every tiny thing and every big thing in our lives.  He certainly deserves our praise.  Our mouths should only open up to praise Him!  Do your words speak love, joy, and peace?  I know I need to work on my words.  My words should consistently speak of God’s glory.  They should build on the work that He has done and never tear it down!  I am a continual work in progress.  I desire for my words to reflect the hope I have in Christ alone.  May our lives start to look a little like the verse above.

“Into his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope…”

God had mercy on each one of us, even though we did nothing to deserve mercy.  Our sin separated us from God.  If you would like to know more about how you can have a relationship with God please read the devotional called Your Table is Ready.  Because of God’s great mercy we have a new birth through Jesus Christ who is the Living Hope.  Jesus came to bridge the gap, so we might know a full relationship with God.  Our hope is made complete because of the life Jesus lived.  There is no other belief system that can offer you a Living Hope.  In fact, there is nothing in this world that can offer you a living hope.  We put our hope in things, but only One man came to be the Living Hope!

“…through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

One of the greatest moments in history took place when Christ was resurrected from the dead.  It’s because He rose from the dead that He became our Living Hope.  We too need to die to our sin before we can fully live for Christ.  He becomes our Living Hope when we bury our sin and come to life in Him.

“…and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade…”

You will never receive a greater inheritance than the one you receive in Jesus Christ.  In Jesus, you receive eternity.  How incredible is it to know that your life in eternity will not perish, spoil or fade?  Everything on this earth perishes, spoils, and fades?  Our bodies are fading away, food spoils as fast as you can get it, money perishes, things perish, cars diminish in value, houses need to be fixed, etc.  The only thing that will not fade is the life God has given us is eternity.  This is an incredible thing to look forward to.  Do not waste a moment of your time when it comes to knowing the One you will be spending eternity with.  He is looking forward to your arrival and has promised you many great things.  The least you can do is live to your fullest potential for God on this earth!

“…kept in heaven for you.”

Heaven is waiting for you!  Do not become distracted by all the things that don’t seem to go your way on this earth.  This is not your permanent home!  God has something special in store for you.  Share the good news with someone.  Don’t worry, Heaven will not be over crowded, so you can invite whoever you want to come!  In fact, God wants you to share the great news of His Living Hope with whomever you come in contact with.  Live with purpose!

Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3-4, AMP)

Dear Father God, I praise You for every good work You have done and continue to do in my life.  Thank You for giving me a Living Hope that will never perish, spoil or fade.  I look forward to the day when I can spend eternity with You, but until that day I live my life sharing the good news of Your Son to all those I can.

My Hope is in You,