“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (KJV, 1 Pet. 1:3-4).
“Blessed be the God and Father”
Father, You have been good to me and are deserving of praise. Give me a heart of gratitude this day for Your wondrous works. You have given Your Son and made the way of salvation. When I was lost, You came and found me. When I dwelled in darkness, You provided light so that I could see.
You deserve much more than I give You. Please forgive me for my sin and cause me to worship You as I ought. Teach me what giving my life as an offering unto You means. You are the Creator, and I am the creation. You are good, and I am a sinner. You are true in all Your ways, and I am often deceived.
Blessed be Your name. May Your name be set apart and revered. May Your name be hallowed and adored. One day every knee will bow, and You will receive the honor due Your name. Thank You for being patient with me.
“of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Jesus, You are my Faithful Shepherd. You came to save me when I didn’t know I needed to be saved. You came as my Great Physician when I didn’t know I needed to be healed. You came as the Light of the World when I thought I could already see.
Help me never to forget what You have done. I often find that I can spend time with You during parts of my day, but then I get so preoccupied with other areas of life it is as though I push You away. Help me to learn how to invite You into my day. Teach me that there is no sacred and secular divide.
Instead, I see Your Word teaching me that whether I eat, drink, or whatever I do, I am to do it all for the glory of God. Even my work is to be done as unto the Lord. So please would You abide with me and I in You. Show me how to stay near You as the rush of the day commences.
“which according to his abundant mercy”
You have truly been merciful to me. I have sinned more than I even know. However, the startling reality is that You know how many times I have sinned. You know the depths of my unredeemed heart. You see all my ways and are acquainted with them.
Nevertheless, You are a God of mercy, and in Your mercy, You have been patient with me. Therefore, teach me to look upon Your mercy and patience and respond as I ought. May I never take Your mercy for granted? Instead, I pray to grow in my love for You.
I may never know why You chose to set Your mercy upon me. Your Word tells me that You are love. However, I know I often let You down and fall short of Your glory. You would have been entirely just to pass me over and not grant forgiveness. You do not owe me anything. I am not entitled to Your mercy. But You have chosen to give it anyway, and for that, I am thankful.
“hath begotten us again”
Father, You have initiated redemption. I am not fully redeemed, but the process has begun. You have told me that in Christ, I have been born again. Elsewhere, I am told that I am a new creation. It is a blessing to be born from above. Your Spirit has given me life, and for that, I am thankful.
Jesus told Nicodemus that unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The first chapter of John’s Gospel states that the one who is born again and receives Jesus is given the right to be a child of God. It is a privilege and honor to be in Your family. You called me to Your kingdom and told me I am Your ambassador. Teach me to embrace my new identity and forget the things behind me.
“to a lively hope”
Not only have I been born again, but I have been born into a lively hope. The hope I have is not merely intellectual. The hope I have is not stagnant. Instead, the hope I have is alive. You tell me that Jesus is my living hope. Hope is a person, and His name is Jesus Christ.
Teach me never to hope in things. Instead, may my hope always be rooted in You. In the Psalms, David has said, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance” (Ps. 42:5). So when my soul is cast down, help me to remember to look upon You as my eternal hope.
“by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
Father, I am reminded today that Jesus has risen from the dead. As I look into Your Gospels, I see that Jesus came to earth to take away my sin. I see that He never committed sin but was punished as a sinner in the end. He knew He would die, but the reality was that nobody could take Jesus’ life from Him. So instead, Jesus laid down His life willingly in submission to Your will and for my sake. He died for me so that I might live unto Him.
Nevertheless, I rejoice that Jesus did not stay dead. You raised Your Son by Your mighty power. The earth shook, and the curtain in the temple was torn in two. Entrance into the presence of God and the priesthood of believers was enacted. Thank You for drawing me to Yourself through the resurrection of Christ.
“To an inheritance”
Father, I am made aware of my status as a son of God. You have called me into Your family, and through adoption, I am a partaker of a divine inheritance. I do not know entirely what it means that I have been given an inheritance. However, I am reminded of the Levites of the Old Testament.
When the tribes set out to inherit the Promised Land, they were all given portions of land. However, the Levites were not. Instead, You told them that You were their portion. May I always rejoice that the Lord is my portion? I can often get carried away with pursuits and matters of insignificance. I can get caught up with things that will not matter for eternity.
May I always seek You and remember that knowing You is eternal life.
“incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away”
Jesus told me that where my treasure is, there will my heart be. If I invest in this life, I will have nothing to show for it in eternity. Instead, my works will be tested by fire, and if I build with wood, hay, or straw, I will still be saved, but my works will be destroyed.
However, if I invest in eternal matters, I will find that they will pass the test of fire, and I will receive a good reward. Therefore, please help me to invest in eternity, where thieves do not break in and steal, and rust does not corrupt.
“reserved in heaven for you”
I am encouraged that even though my works matter regarding my reward, I am not saved by works. You tell me that I can be born again and there is a place in heaven reserved for me. I have been sealed with the Spirit of God as a guarantee of what is to come. You have bought me with a price. I am in the palms of Your hand, and You will carry onto completion what You have started. Thank You that you remain faithful even when I am faithless, for You will not deny Yourself. You are a good God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.