“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  1 Peter 1:3-5

Do you ever have days when you just can’t function?  Today is one of those for me.  It’s cold and I feel it to the bone.  My body rebels against any movement and my mind is just as sluggish.  I know from experience that it will pass and that there will be better days, but today I don’t feel like I’m much use to anyone and wonder if there’s really and value in trying to do anything.  After all, doesn’t Ecclesiastes tell us that all is vanity?  At times like this, I have to keep plodding until the fog lifts and, in the meantime, remind myself that the truth of the situation is much different.  Today’s necessity is to focus on the fact that it’s worth the effort to endure and that’s what the passage above does for me.  It reminds me…us… that we are valued, have purpose and that there is a reward for our efforts.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”  It is God, the creator of all things and the sovereign of all that was, is and is to come who has taken notice of us.  It not just that He notices us, but has also orchestrated our lives to fit together with those around us and, thereby give us purpose and usefulness no matter our circumstance or limitations.  He has put everything in place, so our job is to love Him with our heart, mind and soul and live our lives in service to the one who loves us the most.

“…who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again…”  We can’t say it enough:  God has sacrificed His son to accomplish our rebirth.  That has to be one of the clearest indicators of His love for us and the value that He places on us.  We are His and we are valued enough to sacrifice His one and only Son to cleanse us.

“…to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”  God knows our weaknesses and our doubts so He regularly reminds us that our hope is in Christ, in His resurrection and that one day we will be resurrected with Him.  When we are without hope, we crumble.  Consequently God, ever mindful of our frailty, reminds us that there is a great reward on the other side of our trials and inadequacies.  We have a hope in Christ, in a perfectly resurrected body and everlasting life in the presence of God.  If we had no value, God would not be concerned with our mental state, but He is and has provided an incentive to keep us moving toward Him and for Him on those dark days when we feel that we just can’t keep going.

“…to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away…”  Not only does God take notice of us, but He has made us His heirs.   We are not heirs because there is no one else, but rather because we were selected and destined for this honor.   Further, what He has for us is undefiled.  In fact, we’re told it is better than the purest gold.  It is something more perfect than we can comprehend in this lifetime.  Finally, the perfect inheritance we are to receive will never be depleted or lost nor will it decay.

“…reserved in heaven for you…”  What God has set aside for you and I is in the safest place in the universe…Heaven.  It can’t be taken from us and it is there waiting for us, waiting for the day when God calls us to come home to Him and enjoy what He has reserved and prepared for us.

“…who are protected by the power of God…”  While we may not always feel protected, we are in fact protected by God.  God is watching over us making sure that we will safely come to Him.  He has secured our place in Heaven and provided an inheritance so He is also working on our behalf to make sure that we get to enjoy it. He’s done the major work and as insurmountable as it may seem at times, ours is to endure in godliness…being sanctified as we move through our lives.  Endure we must, but not alone.  God not only protects us, but walks with us through every circumstance.

“…for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  The full extent of what has been reserved for us and that we have worked for in drawing near to God while living for Him won’t be fully revealed until we are with Him in heaven…and there is the problem.  Because we cannot completely know, comprehend and appreciate what is in store for us until a future date, we slip and allow ourselves to doubt and/or take our reward for granted allowing our hope and value that God has placed on us to elude our thoughts.  That is why we must diligently keep the truth of God’s word and His promises before us so that we can press on remembering that we are cherished by God.

This passage goes on to remind us that God, His mercy, inheritance and protection are our source of joy even during the testing and refining of our faith through trials that come our way.  Focusing on the value that God has placed on us as well as the salvation and inheritance that He has provided for us are what we use to keep us moving and enduring not matter what value the world does or does not place on us.  We are His and that is the most important fact that we must hold on to in our weak and dark moments.  Our pain and our suffering are having their perfect effect on us and drawing us into a closer bond with Almighty God…our Father.

God says:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3).  His love for you is steadfast, infinite and everlasting.  Bask in it when things are going well, but more importantly, use it as an incentive and source of strength as you move through life’s more challenging circumstances.

Will