HOPE

HOPE

Bible:1 Peter 1:3-9

Reading

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he
has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead (V.3).

Sometimes life is rubbish. Let’s get one thing clear: knowing Jesus doesn’t change that. Nothing in the Bible promises us a free pass just because we are Jesus’ followers. In fact, some of our hurts may never fully heal and some of our problems may not be corrected during our lifetime. They may even get worse. Yet our issues and weaknesses are only temporary. Looking ahead to what God has in store for us changes our perspective on everything we have to go through. Hope (our confidence in what He promises to do) allows us live in His strength, because we know that one day we will be totally different to what we are now. We will be made perfect in Jesus (1 JOHN 3:2). If you feel damaged in some way or defeated by sin, or if you feel like everyone else is better than you, take some time to focus on what God has in store for you. Live today with the courage God gives you. Spend time focusing more on Him than on yourself. And rejoice, because everything that gets you down about yourself is in God’s hands to change—or maybe even to use in ways you’d never thought of. With our hope in Jesus, we can deal with yesterday’s regret and today’s pain because of our future. God’s best for us lies ahead.

BEING A CHRISTIAN ISN’T ABOUT ESCAPING OUR
CIRCUMSTANCES; JESUS GIVES US THE STRENGTH
TO GET THROUGH THEM.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries