1 Peter 1:3-12 A Living Hope
Peter is excited about the gift of a living hope that was purchased for us. The prophets of old longed to see it but it was held for us instead.
I LOVE Peter’s enthusiasm in the very first words of this passage. How do I know he was excited? Because his first statement, after asking for God’s grace and peace for his readers, ends with an exclamation point. I can just see him bouncing on his toes as he makes this statement; “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (verse 3a). Can I get an Amen!
Peter is excited because he knows the amazing gift God brought us through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. “He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (verse 3b). As AMAZING as that gift is, it doesn’t end there. That new life comes with a new future and an inheritance!
Our inheritance is secure. It’s not like winning the lottery or the Publisher’s Clearing House grand prize. Either of those prizes can be squandered, and oftentimes is, and you wind up in a worse spot than you were before receiving “the prize.” With our inheritance through new life in Christ, is SAFE in God’s hands. Nothing can rob you of it and it won’t lose value over the years. It’s better than any bank account or safety deposit box ever built. That inheritance also gains “value” over time as we walk in His ways. He is a MUCH better “investment banker” than E. F. Hutton ever thought about being!
What is our inheritance? It starts with salvation. This first “return” is the greatest of all investments! It is our new life in Him. It is our freedom from Hell. But that is just the first layer. As you walk with Him daily and do His will, He adds to our inheritance with precious gifts from Him.
Peter’s description of the prophets who wrote about reminds me of a scene I just read in the book “Take This Cup” by Bodie Thoene. In the scene Joseph, the son of Jacob, Israel’s and Rachel’s first son, takes our hero, a boy named Nehemiah, through time to watch the prophet Isaiah pen the prophecies of Jesus. Tears and heartache are flowing from Isaiah as he writes of Christ’s suffering. Isaiah lays his pen aside and considers what the page contains. He doesn’t want these things for his Savior but that is what the Holy Spirit is pouring out of his pen. After a moment, Isaiah picks up his pen and continues writing of Jesus’ pain to come.
I’m certain none of the prophets enjoyed writing of the pain to come but God didn’t leave them all there either. He spoke of Jesus’ glory afterwards. Just as Jesus spoke of His resurrection any time He told His disciples about His death. It wasn’t for any of them to understand all the ins and outs of the story until AFTER He had completed all the necessary work. The life and death He went through secured our future.
Father God, thank You for speaking through the prophets so I could know for sure who Jesus was/is. Each fulfilled prophecy shows me more and more of the FACT that Jesus is EXACTLY who He claimed to be! Thank You that I can trust Him with my future. Thank You that my future is secure with You too. Keep me searching Your word and coming to You every day. Forgive me for the times I miss. You understand my circumstances and love me just the same.
