Since we are in interesting, and unprecedented times, allow me to share with you a devotional thought today from the text I had selected from 1Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefined, and unfolding, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” In these days of uncertainty and constantly changing information, it is comforting for us to know that what we have in Christ is secure and kept in heaven. We’ve been given a family according to verse three and that family will give us encouragement and strength as we face the unknown in a days like those ahead of us. We’re also told in verse three the second part of the verse that we are given a living hope and it’s this hope that sees us through the unknowns of the days that lie ahead. We do not have to fear contact with a virus, or a disease that is unknown and unseen by human eyes. Our hope is not in man but in God who is not taken by surprise by the information that is currently coming out. We must keep our eyes focused on the Lord, and trust him as we interact on a day by day basis because our hope is in Christ. Not only do we have a family and a living Hope but according to verse four we have been given an inheritance that is kept for us reserved in heaven by the power of God because of the work of Jesus Christ through his resurrection. May we come to know and understand the security of God and live in the power of the comforter, that brings perspective in a times of uncertainty. This inheritance is not reserved in heaven, waiting until the day of our death, it is reserved in heaven because it is acquired the moment of a relationship that is established between us and God through the faith we have in the work of Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. May we rest in that inheritance, and find hope in the reality of God‘s sovereign working in our lives. As believers we need to overcome the hysteria that is going on in the world by living in a calm peace that God is in control and that nothing can happen outside of that control, while we may be exposed in our day-to-day living with those who may have come in contact with this virus, we can find comfort in the reality that our security is not in measures of safety which men are telling us to follow; our security is found in the sovereign work of God in our lives and in the lives of others. While we must use wise measures to help those in our community and in our sphere of influence and to protect them as much as possible we must remember that we are not responsible for the unknown only God is responsible for that. I can assure you that no one will acquire the virus with out God permitting it to happen for His timing and for His reasons. We need to rest in the security that we have in Christ, And in a Loving sovereign God who is working in the lives of people both to will and to do if His good pleasure. We see in the conclusion of this verse that not only do we have a family and Iiving hope and an inheritance but we also have a future – we are kept by God‘s power and are being guarded by that power through faith for deliverance which will be revealed one day! As we struggle through the circumstances that are before us, may we find comfort and strength by these words. And through this passage of scripture may we bring comfort and strength to our family (at home and at church) and community, who need hope and help to face the unknowns without a God to carry them through. This week live in the power of God, before a world that is terrified of a disease that is not sovereign, be wise as serpents, and as gentle as doves as you share the truth of God’s Word, and live in peace before our world. I hope next week to expand these thoughts from the pulpit, as we meet together for fellowship, encouragement, and strength that we receive from the Word of God as we meet together. May God bless you today and this week. Be safe, be comforted, and be encouraged! Remember: we are kept by the power of God!
Stay tuned in as together we take a journey with God, that we had not imagined in the days that we are behind us, we will continue to stay informed and make decisions that is best for our church family and community.