DEVOTION – DAY 425

1 Peter 1:3-6 “Jesus, Our Living Hope”

1 Peter 1:3-6 “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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” 

In the above verses, the apostle Peter shared that in spite of sufferings and trials, there is a living hope. In the Bible, hope is not wishful thinking but a confident expectation. Just as certain as God had resurrected Jesus Christ from the grave in victory, Peter reminded Christians that we have hope. We have confidence that our sufferings and trials are only temporary. They are nothing compared to our hope of our eternal inheritance in heaven that awaits all Christians. Peter also reminded Christians that at their conversion, they received power through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit uses every trial and suffering we face to mold us to be more and more like our Lord Jesus. This process called sanctification, will be completed when Jesus Christ returns one day in the future. That is why we can rejoice because we have a living hope.

We know someone who suffered from moyamoya disease. It is a condition that is due to an abnormal constriction of certain arteries in the brain. Blood flow is blocked because of the constriction, with a high risk of blood clots, aneurysms, severe headaches, strokes and epileptic seizures in patients. It is a rare disorder and the cause may be congenital or unknown. When diagnosed with the disease, our friend prayed to the Lord and she realized that she had to surrender her health situation to the Lord. She had to undergo surgery. She experienced terrible headaches, partial numbness and stroke like symptoms. But her suffering also strengthened her faith in the Lord because there was nothing she could do. Her operation was a success. Although her recovery was slow initially, she improved and she is back at work. She was able to write of her ordeal in the form of a testimony which she had printed. The printed copies have been a blessing and encouragement to many people as she distributed them to give God the glory. She was able to say that God provided the resources needed for her treatment. She kept her job. She had peace throughout her time of suffering. This is because she had a living hope in the Lord.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your promise of an eternal inheritance and the gift of living hope in Christ. Please help us to always fix our eyes upon the Lord and not on our present trials and sufferings and to give you the glory. We pray this in the holy name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Questions

  1. How have you allowed your present trials and challenges to mold you to be more like Jesus Christ? Discuss and share.
  2. Why do many people want an end to their trials and sufferings quickly? Discuss.
  3. How do the verses in this devotion encourage you to look at your trials positively?
  4. How have your past trials and difficulties strengthened your faith in the Lord?