1 Peter 1:3 “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.”
We live in a world that is filled with despair and hopelessness. Unemployment, weapons of mass destruction, confused government, sniper terror, travel crisis and even trouble in the church. With all these, an average man needs a bright hope for the future.
Hope in the bible has multiple meanings. It is a favorable and confident expectation. It has to do with the unseen and the future, a living hope that will sustain us. Living hope is the constant expectation of attainment. It is a virtue which leads us to expect the things which God has promised us. It looks to God as its principal object.
There is no hope without faith. Faith apprehends the promises and hope expects what is promised. The natural fruit of a living hope is joy and delight in God. When in this world our vision is impaired with sorrow, hope reminds us that our greatest joy is in the unseen world.
The more we experience God’s power, the greater our hope. Hope looks to the grace of God, while fear looks to the wages of sin. Our living hope is based on the mercy of God. Christian believers have a living hope because Jesus is alive. Our hope is based on the solid evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.

Those who have been born again have a living hope through their new life in Christ; my friends, we have a promise not only of living again, but also of a better tomorrow. We have the hope of a future inheritance. Because of our living hope we can place our faith in God’s protection, God has promised to shield us with His power as we walk in faith with Him.
What greater hope could be given to those undergoing persecution than the knowledge that God’s power guards them from within, to preserve them for an inheritance of salvation that will be completely revealed to them in God’s presence.
To those who are feeling discouraged, displaced, depressed, or in danger, I want to encourage you that we have a living hope based upon the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour. The believer’s hope is sure, certain, and real, as opposed to the deceptive, empty, false hope the world offers. The living Christ is the source of our new birth and our living hope.

Do you have this hope? If not, would you like to have it? God the Father offers you a hope that you can have and maintain by faith. He has done all the impossible part so that all you must do is surrender your life to Him, entrusting yourself and committing yourself to the truth of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

Pastor Yemisi Onanuga