How rich are you?
Lt. Col. Joy Steadman-Allen asks us to consider 1 Peter 1:3-5 and 1 Peter 2:10 before reading on.
Joy Steadman-Allen
Peter is reminding us how rich we are as children of our loving, living Heavenly father. By His great mercy we have been born anew into a LIVING HOPE. It is not at all good hoping that we are saved and have a right relationship with Jesus – we will have the assurance that, without any doubt, we have a living hope, one that gives us the ability to walk tall. This comes from and through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our hope is that we are living every moment in Christ and therefore this is a living hope.
We are rich because we have an inheritance that is imperishable. Ray and I were told three and a half years ago that we had a tiny inheritance left by a cousin, and two years later we received the cheque from the solicitors. By then the cheque didn’t buy what we had hoped it would. The inheritance was perishable but in the resurrection of Christ Jesus we have an inheritance that is sure and precious.
And this inheritance is undefiled and unfading; kept in Heaven for everyone of us. We are so rich and Peter assures us that our salvation is guarded through faith. When we continue to trust Him nothing can take away that inheritance.
Truly we are joined with other believers and although this is addressed to the Jews we put our names to verses 9 and 10 of Chapter 2: But the Christian Church is a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own person that Joy Steadman-Allen may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called her out of darkness in to His marvellous light. Verse 10: Once you were no people but now, Joy Steadman-Allen, you are God’s own person. Once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.
We are rich indeed. Hallelujah.