Living Hope

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

Peter is encouraging his readers.  They have faced persecution and disappointment.  Peter doesn’t console them and tell them things are going to get easier.  He points them to Christ.  Because Christ is the Living stone on which they are to build their lives on.  God has reached down to man, showing great mercy through the cross.  In this new birth they have a new life in Christ.  We too were once lost but now we are found.  Because of this we have a living hope, a hope in a future, a hope where death no longer has a hold on us.  

We face a world that is difficult and full of challenges.  All around us today there are earthquakes, floods, wars and turmoil everywhere.  Disease like cancer seems to be running rampant.  Everywhere I turn there is something to rob me of any hope.  But in surrendering my life to Christ, the new birth something is different.  I have a new outlook on life.  Christ has replaced my heart of cold dead stone with a heart of flesh.  He has given me hope.  This hope is in Jesus who died and was resurrected from the dead.  He defeated death once and for all and death no longer has a hold on us.  In other words when we die physically, we will arise to glory to be with the Lord, forever!  Knowing this gives me great hope.  It is a hope that cannot be taken from me by circumstances or by others.  This hope carries me, it strengthens me, and it inspires me.  Most of all it fills me with inexpressible joy that overflows into the lives of everyone around me.  

Lord thank you for my new birth through Jesus Christ.  Who through His death and resurrection has given me a hope.  Hope in a future, hope in a future life free of pain and suffering, hope in a future life free of sin, forever!  Thank you, amen.