A Living Hope
An Inheritance Kept for Us — Devotion 4 of 12
1 Peter 1:3–5 — “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.”
Opening Reflection
In everyday speech, hope often means little more than a wish. We hope the weather holds, hope the test goes well, hope things work out. Peter wrote to believers scattered across the Roman world, many facing hardship and hostility for their faith, and he did not offer them a wish. He began his letter by breaking into praise, because God had given them a hope that was alive, a hope as certain as the empty tomb.
Taking a Devotional View
Our hope is “living” because it rests on a living Savior. God has caused us to be born again “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” and because He lives, our hope cannot die. Peter describes what awaits us as an inheritance that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” Earthly inheritances can be lost, spoiled, or slowly drained away, but this one cannot decay, cannot be stained, and will never lose its beauty. It is “kept in heaven for you,” and at the same time, you are “by God’s power . . . being guarded through faith.” The inheritance is secured for us, and God’s power watches over us as we continue to trust Him until the day it is revealed.
A hope like this changes how we face today. Peter continues, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6). Trials are real and grief is real, but they are “for a little while,” and they cannot touch what God is keeping for us. So when disappointment comes, we choose to look past it to what is certain. We decide how to spend our time, money, and energy in light of an inheritance that will last. And people notice. Peter later urges us to always be prepared “to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). A living hope, lived out with gentleness, invites others to ask where it comes from.
Key Thoughts & Takeaways
Key Thoughts
- God, in His great mercy, has caused believers to be born again to a living hope (1 Peter 1:3).
- Our hope is certain because it rests on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20).
- Our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4).
- Present trials are real but temporary, and they cannot touch what God has secured (1 Peter 1:6–7).
- A living hope invites others to ask about the reason for it (1 Peter 3:15).
Ask Yourself
- Do I tend to treat my hope in Christ as a wish or as a certainty?
- What present trial do I need to view in light of the inheritance God is keeping for me?
- Is there someone who might ask me about my hope if they saw it more clearly in my life?
Blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for Your great mercy in giving me new birth to a living hope. Thank You that my inheritance is kept in heaven and that Your power guards me through faith. When trials grieve me, lift my eyes to what You have promised, and help me make my choices in light of what will last. Let my hope be so evident that others ask about it, and give me grace to answer with gentleness and respect. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Next in the Series
Strength for the Weary — Our inheritance is kept by God and our hope is alive in Christ. Next, we will consider how the Lord renews the strength of those who wait upon Him when life leaves them weary.