I’ve been a Christian for nearly 20 years now and I just stumbled upon what is probably the best advertisement for the faith in six short verses.

Now mind you, I’ve probably read this a dozen times or so, but for some reason, it just hit me this week while searching the scriptures for some encouragement what a power packed set of sentences these actually are.  If you were to go out to Barnes & Noble in search of a good book to read, it would be the summary of the entire book you would read on the back jacket to determine whether or not you were interested in reading it or not.

In these six short verses it is the entire Bible summarized and why we Christians do what we do.  Why we follow Jesus and what we hope for.  It is suffering explained, and it is the power and the hope of the gospel message.

Now I understand it may not immediately hit you, as it took me awhile as well, but I would encourage you to read it again and again, meditate on it and tell me if it still seems unclear to you…., but I’m quite certain it is the essence of H-O-P-E!

And what is hope, but fuel for our soul.  It gives us energy and vitality for life.  At a minimum, it propels us through our day and helps us overcome life’s little hurdles and at best get’s us through life’s major obstacles. With a full tank, we can accomplish great things.  History is full of real life stories of people accomplishing great things with little more in their available resources than hope.

Perhaps your tank is running on fumes right now and your teetering on the edge of running out of gas,  but read it, meditate on it and let it soak into your soul.   With that I’ll shut up and let these words from 1 Peter 1:3-9 speak for themselves:

 

“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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.   These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”    1 Peter 1:3-9

 

Have a great day!