Daily Devotion (October 28, 2024)
1 Peter 1:3–4 (NKJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
The Hope of the Christian is a Living Hope founded in a Living Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lord of His followers. As a Christian we have surrendered our lives to Him. We have opened our lives to Him. That throne we all were subjected to is now controlled by Jesus.
Jesus was to the people in his day the son of a carpenter who claimed to be the Son of God. Today to those who have given their lives to Him, He is the Christ, The Messiah who was promised by God to save us. Those who are truly alive today are the ones who have Jesus living in their lives.
In verse 5 Peter tells us we are kept by the power of God through faith. In verse 6 he tells us we cannot just rejoice but “greatly rejoice.” Yes, our faith will be tested. Life is filled with all kinds of trials and temptations. But in those trials and temptation our focus must always remain on Jesus. Sometimes our faith is refined. By the fire of trials and temptation. Sometimes we find ourselves at a crossroad. A choice must be made. Our faith is put to the test. It is at this point that we know whether our faith is genuine. A.T. Robertson wrote, “The believer’s faith must be tried. The word tried means to prove; to test; to strengthen; to show that your faith is genuine.”
Today we are being tested by the philosophies of this world. More and more people are moving away from God into a secular religion that bears no hope. The church must wake up and follow Christ, not the world. My hope is found nothing less than Jesus Christ and His righteousness. Our lives must be anchored in Jesus. When we do this then the world. Jesus is the living hope of the world.