1 Peter 1:1-25

One of man’s greatest needs is for hope.  We live in a society of hopelessness because men have turned away from God who is our only source of true and enduring hope.  The book of First Peter says much about suffering, so it is vital that the book begin by inspiring us to have hope.  Our faithfulness will falter if we lose hope, so we must seek to understand and develop biblical hope in our lives.  Here is a quick look at some of the benefits of hope.
HOPE CAUSES US TO REJOICE IN SUFFERING: Suffering in and of itself is not a reason for rejoicing, but when suffering in coupled with hope the natural result is rejoicing.  Satan tries to make us focus of the present circumstances when we suffer.  We are tempted to interpret our future according to our current discomfort and that causes despair and hopelessness.  God calls us to respond to our current circumstances in light of what He has revealed about the future.  God has told us that He is in the process of making us like Jesus.  He has promised us an eternal future free from sin and its consequences.  He has also revealed to us that part of this perfecting process involves pain and suffering.  That is why my hope for a glorious future in the presence of God and an eternity living in the likeness of God causes me to rejoice not just in spite of suffering but because of suffering; because I know that suffering is speeding up the process of perfection that God is working in my life.
HOPE PROMOTES THE READING OF SCRIPTURE: Because the prophets believed in the hope of Christ’s first coming they were motivated to search the Scriptures to learn all they could about the coming of Messiah.  Our hope for the future should prompt us to dive into the Word of God that we might, know, believe and live in light of the promises of God.  It really becomes a vicious cycle.  The result of reading Scripture is hope which promotes the reading of Scripture which promotes hope with motivates us to read the Scriptures even more…….. Hope and Scripture are partners in our lives that work hand in hand to stamp the image of Christ on our lives for His honor and glory.
HOPE MAKES US READY FOR SERVICE: Hope should be a catalyst for Christian ministry.  Lives can be changed by the power of God.  Without the hope that Christ offers to transform the lives of Men through the teaching of the Word and the operation of the Spirit all ministry would be futile and ineffective.  However, since we have seen God change our own lives through the ministry of our brothers and sisters in Christ; we are encouraged to minister in the lives of others in much the same way that these people ministered in our lives.  The power of the resurrected Christ is evident in the lives of men who trust Him.  This truth gives us hope no matter how deep the despair of sinful men around us might become.  In Christ there is always hope so we should minister with hopeful hearts because God can transform the darkest hearts.
HOPE ISPIRES RIGHTEOUSNESS IN SAINTS: If our hope is truly set on Christ and His promises to us, we will be motivated to be righteous and obedient in our lives.  When we are disobedient to the Lord it is usually because we have taken our eyes off of the eternal hope that Christ has promised to give us.  God gives us hope and expects that hope to motivate us to love and obey Him as we anticipate all that He has promised to do in us and for us.  Hope is truly a blessing in our lives and we need to strive to maintain that hope no matter how difficult our lives may become.

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