November 23-November 29

A Living Hope
Spencer Furby
Kennett, Missouri

It seems that the key concept of the introduction of 1 Peter is hope. We are given new birth into a living hope. Hope is a multi-faceted thing. It is what provides us what we need in many different circumstances. Take 1 Peter 1 as a whole. Hope provides fuel for praise (1:3-5). It is because of our hope in what God will provide that we sing praise to God in worship. Hope provides us the ability to rejoice even in the midst of grief and trial (1:6-9). Like a teacher who gets through the month of May because she is thinking intently about June, the hope we have in the future gets us through the temporary trials of this life.

Hope has the ability even to reach back into the past and make what was confusing or even bad something good for God’s use (1:10-12). The prophets were confused and uncertain about what they wrote, but they knew it was from God. We now can go back to the past and find great meaning in what once confused us. Hope motivates holiness (1:13-16). Just as we can resist that cookie because supper will be done in 15 minutes, so we can resist the sin of the world because we know all that God has in store for us.

Hope indicates our value in God’s sight (1:17-21), for we know that God went to great cost to provide this hope for us. The value of something is indicated by what someone is willing to pay for it. God paid a great deal for us, making it clear that we are worth a great deal to him. Christians should not struggle with self worth, for God places a high premium on us! Hope provides a family (1:22) by putting us into close relationship with all others who share the same hope. We have a family of people all across the world, united by blood—Christ’s blood. And finally, hope disarms death (1:23-24) for it is built on the word of God that will never fall, even when we die. So we face death with confidence and endure death with faith.

The hope we have, the Hebrew writer says, is an anchor for our souls. It is easy to see why. It is able to reach back into the past and create value of things we thought were worthless. It is able to provide everything we need for the present, regardless of what we are experiencing. And it is able to assure us about a sure and certain future that lies out there just ahead. There is nothing that we need that hope provided by faith does not satisfy. Everyone who has experienced the new birth from God has this hope that is living. It grows with us and it gets stronger every day.

[Spencer Furby is the minister at the Slicer Street Church of Christ in Kennett, Missouri. He's a graduate of Harding University.]