December 1 – 1 Peter 1:1-12

December 1 – 1 Peter 1:1-12

Jesus, our Savior King, we praise You for You are Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!!!! We thank You for You secure our peace! We fall before You in worship and adoration. Draw near to us, Lord of all.

What a passage to open Advent with! We have a living hope, not a dead one! Praise God! There is nothing more miraculous than the birth of a baby. The smell of new life, the touch of new hands, and the joy babe and mum bring each other. Each birth is different and unique.

And for those of us who have a rainbow baby, we know more deeply and intimately what new life means after the death of an ‘old’ life. There is a sadness to the loss but great joy, healing, and restoration at the gain. And I know, it’s way more complicated than that. But let’s just carry that very simple explanation on with us through the lesson.

Spiritually, we have a death, too, to our old life. Unlike being born to a human being, we are Spiritually born to The Living Hope! Hope eternal, never to end, a promise of redemption. I write this over and over in my studies, this promise of redemption, because it is so important, so life changing. Soooo everything!

This passage screams hope. It oozes hope, it is thrilling, and sends chills yet warmth at the same time. That this wee babe Jesus was The One, the Living Hope, the one we have been waiting for! As a Jesus follower who holds fast to this hope, how can I not jump for joy and shout from the hilltop? This indescribable joy and faith in He who will return for me? How can I not?! Rejoice with Joy! (Verse 8). There is no other appropriate response to living hope. There just is not.

Once one has this living hope, no one can steal it. It is indestructible, non-perishing, perfect, and whole. Absolute. Living hope is eternal. It is confident optimism, as my Bible notes call it. It goes on to describe it: it comes from God, is a gift from God, defined by scripture, secured by
resurrection, confirmed by the Holy Spirit, produces joy, and defends against attacks from satan. (Corresponding verses in Further Reading listed below.). THAT hope?!!!! That hope will be fulfilled upon Jesus’ return! (Titus 2.13)

“Go, tell it on the mountain.
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain.
That Jesus Christ is born.”

My Verse: “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.” 1 Peter 1:3

My Response: My Jesus, my Living Hope. In You I wait, in You I rejoice and count it all joy. From the hilltops, I would cry out these declarations and yet I often don’t do this in the valley where the communities dwell, where life happens. Oh, why do I pick and choose when to shout for joy? Let my joy and hope in You be so evident to those around me.

Further Reading: Psalm 43:5, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Romans 15:4, 1 Peter 3:15, John 11:25-26, Romans 15:13, Romans 5:3-4, Psalm 146:5

What’s next?
As the Spirit leads, share what He has laid on your heart in the comment section below. Then join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.