“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
(1Peter 1:3)
Peter speaks of hope being alive; Peter, the man who denied Christ three times. Peter, the disciple who returned to his fishing career between the resurrection and the ascension. But Peter had learned, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the lessons of the living hope offered by the Father through the completed work of his Savior, Jesus.
The Father showed us abundant, or more than enough, mercy by providing a living hope as a result of the resurrection power of Christ. Peter knew this. Jesus promised, “-because I live, you shall live also.” (John 14:19) The power of Jesus’ resurrection not only secures our own resurrection and eternity, but also it empowers each aspect of our lives here on Earth.
Living hope is synonymous with a breathing, active, blessed, efficient, strong, vital, efficacious, and able-to-enjoy-real-life type of hope. (Strongs Concordance online/1 Peter 1:3/ godrules.net) Is my hope in Christ so alive that it breathes the fresh air of the Scriptures into my soul and grants me the vital power that I need to enjoy real living? I’d say yes…my living hope in Christ has gently led me through the loss of a sister; war, danger, and trauma in Congo; and four years of mania and psychoses. This hope IS my life and breath.
So, can the living hope of Christ’s resurrection impact and influence my daily life? Yes! Phil Wickham’s song, “Living Hope,” says it so beautifully:
“Then came the morning that sealed the promise Your buried body began to breathe Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion Declared the grave has no claim on me
Hallelujah, praise the One who set me free Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There's salvation in Your name Jesus Christ, my living hope.”
Jesus Christ is my living hope…I love that my life and well-being is influenced by the living hope of Christ!
