Weekly Devotional - March 29, 2013

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

1 Peter 1:3 NIV

 

Hope is an interesting word. We use it to mean many things. For example, I was listening to a sports talk radio program this week and the topic was what people expected from their favorite team. Someone said they expected their team to contend for a championship each year. But the team has a history of being not that good so the host made the point that this was a hope rather than an expectation. That's one way to use the word.

 

Talk with children around Christmas season and you'll get another understanding of the word. They make a list - mine was always just the Sears catalog with every toy in the boys section circled! - and hope they get everything they want. Something on the list is always absent from under the tree.

 

I look outside and see clouds. The forecast calls for rain. I felt mist in the air when I walked the dog a few minutes ago. Someone with plenty of outdoor activities planned for today might say, "I hope it doesn't rain."

 

Hope can mean wishful thinking or unrealistic expectations or desire for the future. But the living hope believers have is no such thing. Recall the words to the hymn: "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus' name."

 

We have hope not because of who we are or what we desire but because of who Jesus is and what he has done! And that hope is alive just as much as Jesus Christ is alive. Hope is the confident expectation that what God promises is true. If you need evidence that God is able and trustworthy, then the resurrection is Exhibit A.

 

Celebrate Jesus and the hope he gives! Pray that God will help you anchor your life upon his promises.