Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
- 1 Peter 1:3-9
It was a perfectly hot and humid summer morning. The sprinkler was on, the water table was filled full, and chalk drawings adorned our driveway. I could hear the giggles and chatter of my three kiddos as they played around the house. Then I heard the little voice of Dean (3-year-old), tell his sisters he would be right back and then he burst through the front door. In his hands were a mix of bluebells, daffodils, and newly sprouted ferns. In his hands were a gift for me. I didn’t ask for the bouquet of flowers, I didn’t do something to earn these flowers; rather, he picked them for me because of his love for me. I placed them into a small vase and set them on the counter and mused at how this gift blessed me; because honestly, the day started off really crummy and this gift moved the needle on my day. When my husband arrived home and admired the flowers, I was quick to give Dean the credit and relay the story.
A careful reading of the passage above reveals that God the Father is the giver of great gifts, and we are the recipient of them. And He gives these to us, not because we earn them, but because of His boundless mercy towards us.
First, he causes us to be born again through the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection (by the power of God the Father) proved that death had no claim on Him. And for those of us who believe that He lived the life we cannot live and died the death we deserve to die, and was raised to live to give us new life – we are united to Him for the Holy Spirit enters into our hearts. And just like death had no claim on him, it now has no claim on us.
And the truth of death having no claim on us gives us a living hope. We are not grasping for [dead] hopes that comes from the world (money, fame, health, success etc.) but we grasp onto our savior – who, because of his resurrection, is living. And our living Savior is gentle and lowly in heart and gives us rest for our souls when the weight of the world seems to crush us.
Further the new birth that we receive, not only gives us a living hope for the here and now, but also a future hope which is tethered to our future inheritance. This future inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. Said differently, our future inheritance cannot and will not cease to but is eternal. Our future inheritance cannot and will not be corrupted but is and will continue to be pure. And our future inheritance cannot and will not fade but is and will continue to be radiant and full of glory. And it is so because it is being kept and guarded by our all-powerful Father.
And finally, our new birth, living hope, and promise of future inheritance gives us an inexpressible joy as we journey through this life, as we wait in anticipation for Jesus’s return. Yes, we will go through hard things be it: job loss, miscarriage, marital problems, loss of a loved one, financial problems, being hated for being a follower of Jesus. But the hope that we have in Jesus roots us in joy.
And these gifts – new birth, living hope, future inheritance, inexpressible joy – display what God has done, is doing, and will do. And we need see them and value them as more than mere gifts – for they are blessings. They are blessings because they transform our very lives – from our hearts to our hopes to our perspective to our eternity. They are the blessings of our salvation.
And the blessings of our salvation – they result in praise and honor and glory and adoration to God because He is the giver of these undeserved, great gifts…we simply receive them. And so, let us be faithful and bold to share this good news with others when they ask us why we have the hope and joy that we do.
NOTE: this is part 1 of a two-part devotional. You can read part 2 here.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the blessings of salvation – that you have given me new birth, a living hope, a future inheritance, and inexpressible joy. Help me to cling to you in the hard season and allow my heart to sing joy even when I feel despair and discouraged. Give me an eternal perspective that the things of this world are only temporary and pale in comparison to the joy and honor of knowing and having Jesus. Amen.
Reflection:
- Pick one gift (new birth, living hope, future inheritance, inexpressible joy) and reflect on how that gift is a blessing to you. Take time to thank God for it.
- Are you going through a difficult trial right now? To what are you looking for hope? A better diagnosis? A new job? A particular person? How would anchoring your hope in the living Savior give you inexpressible joy?
