THURSDAY August 20, 2026

A Living Hope

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....
1 Peter 1:3

Peter jumped right into the Gospel message. He set down the source of our inheritance––it is through Jesus Christ. The word blessed does not mean “happy,” as in other Scripture references; but in this setting, it means “praise” to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are to praise God and His Son, Jesus Christ for His mercy. Peter began to expand our understanding of salvation. God the Father bestowed upon us His abundant mercy. Mercy is not getting punished for what we do deserve, as we deserve punishment for our sin. Why else are we to praise Him? Through His mercy we are given a living hope through Christ who rose from the dead. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 (AMP), explained our sorrowful state if Jesus had not risen from the dead, and he hailed the victory of Christ because He did:

If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hoped only in this life [and this is all there is], then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied. But now [as things really are] Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, [and He became] the first fruits [that is, the first to be resurrected with an incorruptible, immortal body, foreshadowing the resurrection] of those who have fallen asleep [in death] For since [it was] by a man that death came [into the world], it is also by a Man that the resurrection of the dead has come... Christ must reign [as King] until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be abolished and put to an end is death.

Christians are born again––our spirit is alive––and our living hope is a result of Christ’s Resurrection. He rose and conquered death! There are so many people in this world who are living without God and without hope. Although we find ourselves richly blessed (Ephesians 1-3), pray for those who still need to experience a living hope through Christ.

For the believer there is hope beyond the grave, because Jesus Christ has opened the door to heaven for us by His death and resurrection.
~Billy Graham~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!