“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3 (NRS)
A living hope! What a concept! Let me see if I get this straight. It comes by the mercy of God and his gift of the new birth. It is the result of Jesus Christ being raised from the dead. What a marvelous strategy. No one but our Only Wise Eternal God would have conceived such a way to provide a living hope.
What a great mercy he gave to us! He removed our sin with its guilt by placing them on his sacrifice at Calvary. He removed the punishment for sin through the punishment of the Cross. He allowed the innocent to take the place of the guilty. He allowed his own son to be the sacrificial lamb who would exchange his righteousness for the sin of the world, so that every one who would believe would be saved and not destroyed.
Bless his holy name! Praise God! Glory to our Most High God! Hallelujah!!! “Let everything that has breath, praise his name.”
Dear Father, thank you for this living hope we have in Jesus Christ. We praise you for your mercy. We give you glory for the new birth and salvation. Hallowed be your name in all the earth! In the name of Jesus I pray. AMEN
Be encouraged today in God’s living hope,