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… (1 Peter 1:3, ESV)
You think about birth. You are birthed into this world. You start in a small, dark, and enclosed chamber. The experience is limited. But when you come out of the womb, you are greeted by a vast world that is filled with possibilities.
Peter says, “you are born again to a living hope.” You start with a limited and temporary perspective. Hope is fleeting. But you come to experience Jesus and are birthed by the Holy Spirit into unlimited and eternal possibilities.
Hope is necessary. When we have hope, we can endure anything. Without hope, we can endure nothing. Hope is what keeps us going. Hope is what motivates us. Hope gets us through.
But hope is not something for us to muster up. It is not something for us to create. It is not something for us build up. Hope is the result of God’s work in our lives. It comes from knowing Jesus. It is not about doing, but about relating.
Peter also reminds us that our hope is a living hope. It is not a dead hope. There reason that it is a living hope. It is alive! Our hope was born in Bethlehem. It was raised from the grave on Easter Sunday. Our hope is Jesus. And Jesus is alive. He is someone we can know, we can talk to, we can hear, and we can trust.
Reflection
- How does Jesus give you hope to endure?
- What does it mean to you that hope is alive?
Prayer
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are my hope. Thank you for being born in Bethlehem. Thank you for rising from the dead. You make hope alive! May my hope be built on nothing less. Amen.
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