Haven’t you heard? Christ is risen! And that changes everything. If Jesus had not risen, we would be still dead in our sin. If Jesus had not risen, we would still be without a chance for reconciliation with God. If Jesus had not risen, we would be without living hope.

But because Jesus is risen, we have a living hope. Because Jesus is risen we can be made right with God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is risen, we are on oyr way to heaven.

Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3, AMP)

God is praised for providing means by the resurrection for a new birth into a living hope. Our salvation is based solely on God. We are saved by his boundless mercy. He is the source of faith and hope.

This hope is not wishful thinking. It is rooted in the promises of God. It is grounded on the cross. It is based on the resurrection of Jesus. Just like Jesus was resurrected from death to life, we will be resurrected on the last day.

Just knowing that God is creating something new in our lives with the very same resurrection power fills us with hope and joyful anticipation.

This living hope lifts us up.
This living hope fills us up with the Holy Spirit.
This living hope empowers us for victorious living.

This hope… is a safe and secure anchor for our whole being. (Hebrews 6:19, CEB,*)
It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God”. (Hebrews 6:19, MSG,*)

This living hope really lifts us up. Because Jesus is risen, we have an access to the very presence of God. Because Jesus is risen, our future is secure. Because Jesus is risen, we are to be risen too. And that living hope lifts us up. Time after time.

 

Dear God,
Wake us up with the Spirit of Living Hope.
Wake us up to the resurrection reality.
Wake us up to see that you are doing a new thing.
Be praised forever and ever for resurrecting Jesus.
Be praised forever for resurrecting us.
Be praised forever for lifting us up.
In Jesus’ precious name,
Amen

Q4U: Have you woken up to the resurrection reality?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you live in hopeful anticipation of being one day resurrected like Jesus!

* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]

Image courtesy of Mark Lauman, design Mari-Anna Stålnacke. This post is refurbished from 2010. Linking up today with Sharing His Beauty, Hear it on Sunday, use it on Monday, Playdates with God, and counting blessings with Ann Voskamp: #1106

I always appreciate if you help sharing the blog posts with your friends & followers. So that everyone might know the love of God, receive the grace of Christ, and live in the presence of the Holy Spirit! Thank you! Be blessed now and forever!