Living Hope

1st Peter 1:3-5 says, "Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Hope is all we really have to live for. That's what belief and superstition are built on. I believe that one day I will be in heaven, and that is my hope. We heard  a story early this week that really made us think about hope. We climbed a mountain called Bell Rock in Arizona. We were super excited to have been all the way to the top and the next day made a reference to our hike to our tour-guide while looking at Indian reservation items. He told us a story of two-thousand New Age believers sitting on Bell Rock and in a huge circle. They crossed their legs and interlocked their fingers hoping that something would happen.

They believed that the earth would soon start to change and there would be more visual changes in the world we know. One of those changes would be Bell Rock raising itself out of the ground and lifting itself into space. The New Agers wanted to be a part of the change, so they tried catching the ride. I can't imagine watching the disappointment after they all come down from the mountain.

They hoped in a prophetic word and a fairy tale and they were wrong. This is what everyone worries about: having a false hope. We dread the day that we get to the end of our lives and we find out the truth. "What if what I hoped in was wrong and I lose control of where I am going?"

I'd encourage you guys to not fear this interaction. Peter says it plainly: our hope is a living hope, different than everyone else's. Don't you love knowing the answer while everyone else doesn't? There is a sense of pride knowing that you have the key to the door while everyone else is looking everywhere and picking up keys that will never fit. We're not told to hold on to our key, or our knowledge of Christ and His resurrection. He tells us to share what we know and hope in with everyone over all the world.

This is huge! Our hope is living! It's not something that has no real evidence but the earth itself is proclaiming the life and death of Christ. The sky proclaims the glory of God so that none can deny it! It's so evident. We literally have the key to all the questions the world can ask! We have been given the gift of eternal life and the ability to press in on the presence and reality of who God is. Our hope is living and works in us every day. Our inheritance is coming and we have been assured by the coming of the Holy Spirit into us.

What are we waiting for? I could go on about how we need to share the Gospel of who God is even further, but is that really the issue? The issue is we don't understand the value of what we have. God is in love with us and desires for us to join in the song of His glory. When we are dedicated to glorifying God, He gives us joy in return. There is so much worth in knowing and being with God daily. It's like knowing a rockstar that you get to hang out with personally while everyone else longs to meet him. We have complete access to the throne of God! We are still to recognize it as holy and sacred, but we also can come before God sinless.

The Gospel is a beautiful thing and it is our job to rediscover the value of it everyday and how important it is to us and to our world. When we understand what we are living for and the importance of it, that's when our minds start to zero in. We start concentrating on how to give God the most glory and how to live every second in His presence. The living hope we have literally lives and moves within us. In everything you do,  be assured by the living hope of the death and resurrection of Christ that we are going to receive an inheritance that is not corruptible but completely obtainable.

Have hope. Christ is our living hope bringing us to His glory - Forsake All