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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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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Living Hope 1 Peter 1:3-4

June 7, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to His great mercy,
He has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
and into an inheritance that is imperishable,
uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
1 Peter 1:3 and 4 HCSB

I’m living in the light of Your smile
Father, Your smile
I’m taking in the newess of life
The abundance of Your life

‘Cause there’s so much life for me
It abounds, transcends what I can see
There’s living hope for me
No circumstance could ever change the fact

Because it’s incorruptible, undefiled
It does not fade away
Reserved in heaven, kept by His power
To be revealed in the latter days

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Living Hope

December 4, 2014 by

SHhopeadvent

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3 HCSB

Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines hope as

“one of the three main elements of Christian character (1 Corinthians 13:13). It is joined to faith and love, and is opposed to seeing or possessing. Christ is the actual object of the believer’s hope.”

Hope is when we eagerly look forward to something.

Rebecca VanNoord states “We don’t often realize where we put our hope. We can seek sustenance, energy, or relief in the most transient, innocuous things—from our morning coffee to a vacation we’ve been anticipating for months. These things are not bad in themselves, but if they constantly serve as minor fixes in our daily lives, they can shift our focus. We can end up trading God’s help for caffeine and a few days in the sun.”   (Go here to read the rest of this article.)

Ouch!  (Especially the coffee/caffeine part.)  “Shift our focus.” I don’t know about you, but my focus is easily shifted. How is it then that we are to place our hope in an infant born in a stable and keep our focus on something we have never seen or experienced? Especially in the world today where Christmas has been commercialized and Christ is being taken out of Christmas.

Look at it this way:

  • Without Christ…there is no Christmas.
  • Without that miraculous birth…there is no crucifixion or resurrection.
  • Without Christ’s resurrection…there would be no hope.

Christ alone is our eternal hope, our living hope.

Lamentations 3:24 (AMP) says “The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being (my inner self); therefore will I hope in Him and wait expectantly for Him.”  It is Christ living in us that gives us hope.  1 Timothy 4:10 (HCSB) states,

In fact, we labor and strive for this,
because we have put our hope in the living God,
who is the Savior of everyone,
especially of those who believe.

Our hope is in the living God—the Savior who busted through the gates of hell and conquered death in our place. That’s where I need to keep my focus. It is in that hope I find my joy.  Who knew that one small baby born in a stable would have such a profound affect on the whole world?  God did.  He knew that Holy Infant would be our living hope.

*   ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Father, thank You for the living hope we have in the birth of Your One and Only Son. Let us be mindful that we have that living hope inside of us, to be shared with those whose lives we touch.  Thank You for that precious birth that changed our future and gives us such hope.  In Your Holy name we pray, Amen—it is so!

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