A Joyous Hope

1 Peter 1:3-9
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. This inheritance is 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 all 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 the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—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 end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

We are made new with a real and living hope through Jesus’ resurrection, which is also the guarantee of our inheritance because we have been made right with God. In light of Jesus rising from the grave, we can be sure that anything this life throws at us is only temporary. It doesn’t compare to what we know is waiting for us. 

So how do we respond? By keeping a big picture perspective, we allow ourselves to be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy! Day-to-day we will be beat down, sad, frustrated, grief-stricken. But when we are reminded that this world is not all there is, we can fuel that deep-seeded joy that is beyond the emotional ups and downs. All because Jesus really rose from the dead. 

Remind yourself today: every time you pause to pray about anything start with “Father, Thank you that you rose Jesus from the dead, so that I, too, can live”. 

Sophie H