December 23, 2024

This Week…1 Peter 1:3-5

June 12, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

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

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

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.

❦

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 unfading

Can 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.

❦

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 1:23

Combining 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.

❦

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 1:10

Look 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.

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Imperishable Hope

June 11, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again
to a living HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled
and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected by the power of God through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

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.

The Jewish people have hope for their Messiah to come, one of a conquering one.  We know the Messiah has already arrived.  Our job is to pray for the people of Israel to realize Jesus as their Messiah and to demonstrate to them who we are in believing in Jesus.

With the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948, the people have begun resettling the land which God promised would happen.

For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land
who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered,
heal the broken, or sustain the one standing,
but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.
Zechariah 11:16
God has a plan and has given hope to His people—from selecting Abraham and Sarah, to bringing the people out of captivity in Egypt, to David being chosen as king.  God has a plan to bring us to Him as His own.  Our hope is in Him and He is attainable.
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 
Father, thank You for loving us and for grafting us into Your family.  Help us share the hope you have given to all of us with others.  Help us not be afraid to be bold.  Give us courage.  In Jesus’ name, amen!
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Living Hope

June 10, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

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,  who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5 AMP

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

As I read this passage, three phrases got my attention:

  • ever-living hope
  • inheritance which is…imperishable, and
  • being guarded

As I studied each one I realized, while each is uniquely different, they are all tied together.  According to John Piper:

“…hope, as we typically think about it, is a desire for some future thing which we are uncertain of attaining…. Christian hope is a strong confidence in God which has power to produce changes in how we live.”

– read more here; Desiring God.com

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 unfading

Can 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.  Which brings us to our last phrase.

The term guarded often means ‘shielded or protected by’.  God is not only standing guard over our inheritance but we are shielded by His power as well.  Job 33:11 HCSB states “He stands watch over all my paths.”  John 10:28 HCSB reminds us “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.”  We are guarded by His power. God’s power is our security.

Our hope is in Jesus Christ, who provided us with an eternal inheritance through His Resurrection.  This inheritance is (as we ourselves are) being shielded and protected by the power of God Himself.

That is living hope.

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Regeneration

June 9, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

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

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

For you have been born again not of perishable seed,
but of imperishable through the living and enduring Word of God.
1 Peter 1:23

Combining 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.  We need not to forget that we are lights in the world.  People see us, and with our Christ-like character they will follow us and will be saved.  If we live to the contrary we preach death to the people.

If you know that He is righteous
you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.
1 John 2:29

No one who is born of God will continue to sin,
because God’s Seed remains in him.
He cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God.
1 John 3:9

Let us strive to live a righteous life as our Father. (Be holy for I am holy- 1 Peter 1:16).  There is a worldly proverb that says “Birds of the same feather, flock together.”  Now we are told Christ lives in us.  So how can we sin when He lives in us?  The Holy Spirit is in us, how do we sin?

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God
and everyone who loves the Father loves His Child as well.
1 John 5:1

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.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, we thank You for Who You are—You are the great God, the I AM WHO I AM, the ever present, immortal God, invisible God.  We thank You because we have this new life because of Your love for us. Thank You for letting us be born again.  Give us the grace not to turn to the left or the right of Your precepts but rather do what we are supposed to do at the right time…all to the glory of Your holy Name.  In Jesus’ name I have prayed.  Amen!!!!

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Hope in Eternity

June 8, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

I think one of the main reasons that hope is possible is not because it is something that we do day-to-day, but because it helps remind us that there is more to this life.  Hope keeps us focused on God Almighty and eternity.  Hope is something that will last until our dying day.

1 Peter 1:3-5 says,

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.

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 1:10

Look 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.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help us to not forget the big picture of hope.  Hope is our fuel to get us to eternity.  Hope helps make life bearable, but hope also strengthens our relationship with You.  Help us understand that our hope in You is an eternal hope and that it can never be misplaced when we hope in You.  Amen.

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Count Your Blessings

November 22, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy]
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
*Alternate text

Written by Johnson Oatman, Jr ~ Music by Edwin O. Excell ~ Sung by Ann Williamson

  *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Written over a hundred years ago (1897), this hymn is still sung today and is still reminding us that we have much to be thankful for.

Be thankful in all circumstances,
For this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

When I sing the first verse, I think of the disciples out on the stormy sea.  Actually, there are two accounts I want to share.

Matthew 8:23-27, tells the story of Jesus and His disciples in the boat when a fierce storm came up.  The water was swamping the boat, and the disciples were panicked! Jesus was calmly sleeping because the storm wasn’t bothering Him.  In the midst of the storm, Jesus was right there with them.  Instead of seeing Him as their example to stay calm and trust God to protect them, they cried out to Jesus for Him to use His faith to save them.  Thankfully He was there, He did intercede for them, and commanded the wind and the waves to be calm.  The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ power, and were counting it a blessing that He was with them.

In the next account (recorded in Matthew 14:22-33), Jesus sent the disciples out in the boat without Him.  Night came, and a storm developed.  The disciples were fighting the strong winds and heavy waves, but to no avail.  They hadn’t even thought to call out to God, evidenced by the fact that when Jesus came to them walking on the water, they didn’t even recognize Him.  But He came, because He loved them, and never had planned on leaving them helpless.  Peter even walked on the water—until he took his eyes off of Jesus.  When Jesus and Peter got back in the boat, the storm died and the waters calmed.  The disciples (maybe especially Peter!) were surprised and blessed that Jesus came to them and saved them.

In our lives there are times when we are ‘tempest-tossed,’ and we do become very ‘discouraged, thinking all is lost.’  As believers, we can count on Jesus to be there for us.  He’s in the boat with us.  He is our example of trust.  And even in the times when we are trying to carry our heavy cross alone, He’s walking on the water toward us.  He just wants us to call out…even to walk out to Him…and He will lift us up. What a blessing!

Proverbs 10:6, tells us that “The godly are showered with blessings.”  Do you count your land, your home, your money as blessings?  Yes, they are, but they are just to help us get by here on earth.  God has so much more for you/us. Do you count your salvation, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, God’s love for you, your family’s love, your reward in Heaven, and other spiritual gifts as blessings?  Money can not buy any of those because they are priceless blessings from God.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is by His great mercy that we have been born again,
because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance
—an inheritance that is kept in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled,
beyond the reach of change and decay.
And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power
until you receive this salvation,
which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.”
1Peter 1:3-5

“So amid the conflict whether great or small, do not be discouraged, (remind yourself) God is over all. Count your many blessings.” It will lift you up, and it just may surprise you to see what the Lord has done!

  *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Lord, in this season of Thanksgiving we come to You with our hearts bursting with thanksgiving.  We, as Your children, have so many blessings to count!  Truly, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised” (Psalm 113:3).  All day and all night, in every season, we count our many blessings and our voices lift up praises to You, the Giver of all good gifts!  Praise the Lord!  It Is So!

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