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,
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.
1 Peter 1:3-5
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This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we are continuing a mini-series on the subject of HOPE. Our devotional writers have shared the Truth given us in this week’s passage reminding us that biblical hope is a ‘living hope!’ Here are a few of their thoughts….
In Imperishable Hope, Tina reminded us of God’s promise.
Did you just read what Peter said? We have a living hope to an imperishable inheritance through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. AND it is a place reserved in heaven with Jesus and our Father. What a great promise we have!
We all have a hope to be with God in Heaven one day. As we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior we will be there. It is like waiting to go on a long-awaited trip, or finally being able to accomplish a dream… God has a plan to bring us to Him as His own. Our hope is in Him and He is attainable.
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In Living Hope, Cynda encouraged us with the great value of this inheritance.
Our hope is provided by the death of Christ. Because of His Resurrection, our hope possesses life and vitality—a living hope. We can hold tight to the confident hope we have in Christ because He has paved the way for us. Look at Hebrews 6:19:
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus….Amazing, isn’t it? Christ went before us to give us hope and provide us with an inheritance. Ephesians 1:11 states “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance.” As I read through different translations of 1 Peter 1:3-5, these are a few of the words used to describe our eternal inheritance:
incorruptible, imperishable, undefiled,
priceless, unsullied, and unfadingCan we say that about any earthly inheritance we might receive? Plus, this eternal inheritance is already ours. We do not have to do anything to earn it and it can never be taken away from us.
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In Regeneration, Ann tied another verse together with our theme verse…
For you have been born again not of perishable seed,
but of imperishable through the living and enduring Word of God.
1 Peter 1:23Combining these two verses shows us that the resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us a new identity. We need to embrace this new identity and live a life that is worthy of the calling of child of God. We are regenerated—made new. The old things have gone and behold all things become new. Our character, our attitude, our thinking, our abilities should match with the new status we have been given.
Dear friends, let us live a life that is pleasing unto God and appreciative of the love that God had for us by sending His Son to die for us to take away the sinful nature and giving us new life.
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In Hope In Eternity, Ahmee shared the example of the Apostle Paul and his hope.
Paul is a very good example of what hope on Earth is supposed to look like—He experienced many hardships while here on Earth and yet he never seemed to waver in the hope that he experienced. He said about his Hope,
He has delivered us from such deadly peril, and He will deliver us again.
On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us,”
2 Corinthians 1:10Look at the faith that Paul had! His hope was unwavering. Is ours? Are we so consumed with our day-to-day hope in our daily circumstances that we miss out on the big picture? Do we sometimes get so consumed with our current situation that we forget what God has done for us? His track record proves that we can trust Him…but do we not sometimes forget? Doesn’t THIS situation somehow seem different than other situations? We forget sometimes that our hope is that of an eternal hope. It can never be misplaced if we are placing it in God. It is impossible.
Thank you, Ladies, for another good week of focusing on the Hope we have in Jesus. I love studying with you and being strengthened with God’s Word! <3
amen to that! <3