# 39 2020 Dev. 1 Peter 1:3-4. Living Hope! Read all of Chapter 1. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.
1 Peter 1:3-4 “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.”
The first two verses, vs.1-2 sets the tone for Peter’s letter, written to followers of Jesus scattered throughout the Roman world. That migration was started by persecution and the death of Stephen soon after the establishment of the early Church. As difficult as this was, with much suffering, God used it to begin His purpose of calling all people back to Himself. From that time persecution has increased to the point that today over two hundred million followers of Jesus are under persecution. We have a lot to pray about!
Further, Peter tells us who he is writing to; those “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.” Peter here harking back to the day of atonement in the Old Testament church; when the blood of the sacrificial lamb is sprinkled on the mercy seat of the Ark. Today, the day of atonement is the last day of the 10-day celebration of the Jewish New Year.
The next section, vs. 3-9: “Praise to God for a Living Hope.” Is perhaps the most concise and simplified presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, it includes a warning of suffering as a testing of a person’s faith but it includes an acknowledgement of being “filled with inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls”. That “Living Hope:” lives by suffering in faith and lives by “inexpressible and glorious joy” in the lives of followers of Jesus. Thankfully, for now, real suffering for Christians in this country is rare. Is that why “inexpressible and glorious joy” is also rare among followers of Jesus? Yes, we need to redirect our living hope, rejoice always!
Vs.10-12 considering “this salvation” it is obvious that God previewed salvation from the beginning of time, (Gen 3:15) highlighted in the Old Testament and came to full view in Jesus; by faith salvation is from the time of the fall and still is extended to the whole human race and will be available until the last day. Praise the Lord!
Vs.13-25 “Be Holy”, therefore, points back to all Peter writes before. God has chosen His people, God gives them a living hope and God calls His people to holy living. Peter calls God’s people, including us, to reject the “evil desires” that we all struggle with, God says: “be holy, because I am holy”. Can we do that on our own? Some people think so, but the truth is we cannot, we are holy by the sacrifice of Jesus when we believe in God and we put our trust in Jesus. Amen!
If Followers of Jesus are tempted to become arrogant, Peter puts that to rest: “For, ‘All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.’And this is the word that was(is)preached to you”. What else do you need to know?
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Heavenhigh 