"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
"So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
"You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls."
(1 Peter 1:3-9)
What a glorious passage of Scripture!
The promises contained within are many, but a few of the standouts are:
By His great mercy we have been born again.
We live with great expectation - a living hope.
We have a priceless inheritance KEPT in heaven for us.
God's power protects us - KEEPS us - through our faith until that Day of salvation.
There is wonderful joy ahead.
Our trials prove that our faith is pure.
Even now, we can rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy - a triumphant, heavenly JOY!
The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of our souls.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord! My heart is full as I think of the redemptive work He has provided for you and me. Our minds can't wrap any true understanding around so great a knowledge. But our spirits...our spirits rejoice with a triumphant, heavenly joy as we fall into the embrace of the Spirit of God within us. I think of that sweet aroma, that heavenly fragrance that drifts up to the Lord our God as we worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Can you sense the Presence of God as you envision His sweet, sweet fellowship that occurs as we appreciate His love? Amazing, isn't it?
Our God is an awesome God!
Father God, How wonderful You are! Blessed be Your Holy Name! Thank You for Your salvation. Thank You for our inheritance. And thank You for KEEPING us until that glorious Day when we will see Jesus face to face. Triumphant, heavenly joy...
Our God IS an Awesome God!! This makes my heart sing with joy...so much encouragement in the Word, especially in these last days!!
ReplyDeletelvya!!
I felt the same way, Mid. Yesterday was such a hard day for me physically. Feasting on His Word and His goodness brought me great strength. Thank you so much for your encouragement. I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed glorious. One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is here... The Lord has the power to keep us eternally in His arms. It reminds me of Psalm 139
ReplyDeleteWhere shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night," even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
Glorious thought. He created us. He recreated us in the new birth. He began the good work. He will most surely finish it.
And what He has decreed about us, will come to pass. It may take a long while. It may take some harsh discipline, as with Jonah. But He will take us there.
He will continue to woo us until the very end of this earthly life. Until we are fully surrendered, fully and forever His.
God is faithful! He has made a covenant with us... and even if we at times fail to keep our part of the deal, He will not fail to keep His. And He will pour more of His Holy Spirit in us, that we DESIRE to be obedient. When we mature, we will come to see His commandments are not grievous at all!