May 24, 2020 IMPACTED AND MOTIVATED BY THE FUTURE
1Peter 1:3-6 “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. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
If we can believe, if we can see with our spiritual eyes, what is in store for us who trust Jesus as our Savior, our life here on earth will never be the same. Knowing what our future holds should be the major motivating force in our life. Peter Parris made an awesome statement when he said: “Let us be more affected by our future than by our past.” We now live in a world system that rejects any idea of there being a God, but we are no longer of this word, even though we live in it. We have “been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus.” Before we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were spiritually dead-the new us did not exist! When we accept Jesus as Savior, we believe that our sins are forgiven and we believe we are going to heaven when we die, but there is so much more included in our salvation. We know salvation now, but when we see Jesus, we will marvel at just how fantastic our salvation really is. Certainly, our being born again has a major impact on our earthly life, but what is in store for us in the future is even greater. Do we know and can we believe that God has an inheritance waiting for us in heaven? This inheritance is imperishable and will not fade away! As we begin to believe and focus on what God has in store for us, we will ‘greatly rejoice,’ just as the early believers did. “Even though we may be ‘distressed by various trials,” our inheritance is sure. In the meantime, we are being protected by the power of God; God is watching over those who have an inheritance in heaven-not one of His loved ones will miss his or her reward. As we begin to believe and as we focus on what is in store for us when we see Jesus, we will ‘greatly rejoice’ just as the early believers did. Even though we may be ‘distressed by various trials’ here on earth, the promise we have from our Father regarding our future is our source of joy no matter our present circumstances. Because of our great salvation and the sure promises of God, we have a ‘living hope’ that does abate nor die. There is a great day coming for those who trust Jesus as Savior-a day beyond our wildest imagination! We are here on earth only ‘for a little while;’ while here, let us live with our inheritance in view, knowing that God is watching over us and we are being kept that we might soon receive our great inheritance-actually, we have already began to receive our inheritance.
Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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