ANCHOR DEVOTIONS MARCH 23,2012

A Living Hope

"In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
(1 PETER 1:3)

INSIGHT
HOW DOES THE PROMISE OF ETERNITY WITH JESUS CHANGE HOW YOU SEE THINGS TODAY?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Judges 20-21
Psalm 119:1-88
1 Corinthians 12

1 Peter 1:1-9

1 Peter 1:1-9

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

1 Peter 1

1

To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, ² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope

³

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, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, ⁵ 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. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ 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, ⁹ for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

Paul, Peter and the others were sent to enter a world fraught with danger and hopelessness. They knew their lives were going to be threatened and that death was imminent. But they also knew that this life was not "the end." Their hope was in the love of the living God; the promise of eternity with Him made every incident on earth pale in comparison.

In other words, the resurrection of Jesus Christ formed the basis not only of their new faith but also of their perspectives about everything on earth. This is exactly how our lives ought to be shaped! Peter's letter starts with this great reminder that he experienced first hand: no matter what we may do, how we may fail, God's hope sustains us. What an encouragement! It was not a hope that Peter imagined or conjured up whenever he felt discouraged. No, his was a living hope, one that breathed, inspired and spoke to him in the person of Jesus.

That living hope is the lens through which we see the world and the greatest gift we could offer others!


1 Peter 1:1-9