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Devotionals
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Jesus' New Life Is Our Hope
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Jesus' New Life Is Our Hope
(By Kerry S. Doyal)
Sunday is Easter. Believers around the globe - and in heaven - will joyfully celebrate again the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. "He is risen!" one believer cries out. "He is risen, indeed!" another answers.
The story of Jesus' being alive again is astounding - no small matter in its own right. Yet, some of the fruit of His resurrection "ain't so bad" either. What God has made available to us through Easter is breathtaking.
The Apostle Peter - one of the authoritative eyewitnesses of Jesus' resurrection - after mulling over some of what God had provided, wrote this praise to God:
"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, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NASB)
Permit me to summarize this chunk of a ten verse run-on sentence of doxology and theology: Praise God for Jesus' resurrection, because through it, God has mercifully provided us a new birth, living hope, a secure inheritance and eternal protection by God!
Talk about being born - rather, reborn - to privilege! Jesus' resurrection makes a new birth possible for us too. His "slightly used" empty tomb became a womb for us to come forth unto a new life - any of us, all of us who believe.
In Jesus there is the provision of a fresh start, forgiveness, fellowship with God, eternal life, adoption into God's family, rescue from sin and spiritual death... Wow. No wonder Peter got excited.
Lottery tickets make people hope. Not have hope, but hope they win. This kind of hope is not sure. It produces more anxiety than it relieves. Will I win? Will they pick my numbers? Will I know who my true friends are if I win?
Jesus gives a different kind of hope: a living hope, a vital hope. Not a "maybe so, hope so" hope, but one that is certain and sure. Though "we were without hope in the world" (Eph. 2:12), in Jesus we now have hope (see also Hebrews 7:19; 10:20).
Discussion abounds about Social Security: will it be around for us in a few decades? How about Medicare, Medicaid? Great news, the inheritance of salvation provided that first Easter is a bit more secure than any thing man manages.
Does this sound secure enough for you? Our inheritance in Christ is "imperishable," it has no freshness date, moths can't eat it, nor mold decay it. Our hope of heaven is "undefiled." The sin of our life or the world can't pollute it. We can mess up a lot of things (and do) but this is one thing out of our reach (see Romans 8:31-39).
But wait, there's more! Our promised salvation from God "will not fade away." Unlike old sheets and towels, it can't fade or lose its luster. To top it all, it is "reserved in heaven for you." It is safe from theft. And guess Who is reserving it for us?
Have you seen the sticker "Car Protected by Smith and Wesson" (that's a gun)? Ever noticed a sign warning of guard dogs or an alarm system? Ever seen - and perhaps ignored - a freshness date on food? Alarms, guns, dogs and dates remind us that our stuff down here is vulnerable. Theft, time, erosion, corrosion and mold strike at our precious belongings. We have to protect it, secure it, eat it and polish it.
Yet, what God has promised us via Jesus' resurrection is not vulnerable to any of these things. Nor are we. Peter declares that we - the heirs - are "protected by the power of God."
Not just our inheritance in Christ is secure, but His kids are as well. Roll this around in your heart a time or two: I am "protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed." Go ahead, think it over some more. Nice, eh?
No wonder people get all excited about Easter. Its not just new dresses, dinners and chocolate. It is about a new life, hope that is lively, promises from God that are safe and having God as one's spiritual body guard.
You can have this hope. You can be reborn into these privileges. Is God storing up an inheritance for you, protecting you? If you have faith in the living Jesus, this hope is yours.
All of us would be fortified by re-reading Peter's praise to God in 1 Peter 1:3-5. For further encouragement, study 1 Corinthians 15 and John 20 and 21. He is risen! And we can be too!
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Davidwayne Lackey 04/04/2015 21:46 |
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