1 Peter: Being Formed Into the Image of ChristSample

Unwavering Hope Rooted in Jesus

As followers of Jesus, whether you and I realize it or not, we are on a pilgrimage heading to our eternal home to be reunited with our risen King. On our pilgrimage home, it shouldn't surprise us that we will experience tension, conflict, and suffering as we live in the in-between. Additionally, along our journey, there will be times when we will need to lay down our desires for the sake of our Lord Jesus and the advancement of His kingdom. Why? Because much like the original audience of the first letter of Peter — whom he describes as "aliens and exiles" living in a foreign land — we live, work, and play within a fallen culture whose values are radically different from the ways of our King Jesus.

Thankfully, there is much wisdom in the Apostle Peter's first letter that can help us faithfully navigate our way home as we journey together. 1 Peter 1:13 provides clear instructions on where to focus our attention as we navigate the treacherous road home: "Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed."

Often, when we think of hope, we associate it with wishful thinking surrounding some future event. We say things like, "I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow," "I hope you have a great vacation," or "I hope things go well for you this upcoming school year." Each of these statements looks to the future, but their ultimate outcome lacks any connection to the past. They are primarily based on our desires for a future event to go the way we have carefully planned it out. However, the hope that Peter is speaking about is rooted in a past event — the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. For this reason, as His followers, we can experience a different kind of hope — a hope characterized by assurance, certainty, and an expectation for a promised future.

Because of this kind of unwavering hope, we can keep our eyes fixed on the grace of God as we navigate the long road home. His grace is timeless, spanning our past, present, and future, and will undoubtedly be received in its fullest measure when Christ returns.

Today, as you go, take a few moments to wrestle with the following questions.

• On your pilgrimage home, how have you experienced the tension, conflict, and suffering that comes as we live in the in-between as "aliens and exiles" for Christ?
• As you journey homeward, is your focus fully set on the unwavering hope of Christ rooted in His life, death, and resurrection? And are your eyes fixed with great anticipation on the grace of God available to you both now and in the future?