Hope (1 Peter 1:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11-27-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                                          Focus:  Hope

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Peter 1:3

 

            Message of the verse:  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  (NASB)  “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.”  (NIV)

            Peter calls God the Father or our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is part of the trinity along with the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus called God His Father when He was upon the earth, except when He was on the cross paying for our sin, when He said, “My God, My God why has thou forsaken Me.”  We can only be saved because God had mercy on us; He was giving us what we did not or ever could get by ourselves. Being born again means that we are born from above, the same was spoken of in John chapter three.  When we are born again we receive the Holy Spirit along with a new nature that always wants to please God.  The Bible has much to say about hope, and hope means that we have “confident optimism and 1) comes from God (Psalm 43:5); 2) is a gift of grace (2Thes. 2:16); 3) is defined by Scripture (Romans 15:4); 4) is reasonable reality (3:15); 5) is secured by the resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 11:25,26; 14:19; 1Cor. 15:17); 6) is confirmed in the Christian by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13); 7) defends the Christian against Satan’s attacks (1Thess.5:8); 8) is confirmed through trials (Romans 5:3,4); 9) produces joy (Ps. 146:5); and 10) is fulfilled in Christ’s return (Titus 2:13).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  All of these great truths in the verse, the Trinity, being born again, and the living hope we have because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives me reason to be very thankful on the Thanksgiving Day.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to seek to get hold of what Christ Jesus has got a hold of me for.