“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,” 1 Peter 1:3

 

It's time to live with an air of expectancy!

 

It’s easier during the Easter season to think about the cost of salvation. It’s a bit more real as we read and reread the account from Scripture. As we take Communion and reflect on what the elements stand for, it’s sobering and emotional. We are so very thankful for the “great mercy” extended to us. I love this time of year, this time that specifically calls us to remembrance.

 

Look at the author of this letter; it’s Peter. Here’s a guy who walked with Jesus, saw His miracles and took part in them as well, heard His teachings, received His reprimands, denied Him, was restored by Him and then preached for Him. Peter knew Jesus. It’s evident that Peter paid attention and came to understand and have the heart of Jesus. Jesus always stressed that all the praise and glory was to go to His Father. He was always “about the Father’s business.”

 

After his greeting, the first thing Peter says is, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He stated emphatically that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that it is because of God’s great mercy through that sacrificial gift that we have been born again. (His greeting clearly states that he is writing to believers.) HE BELIEVED! The very next thing Peter shares is that now, after being born again, he lives in great expectation!

 

Do we live in great expectation? Do we walk around expecting great things? Do we understand that the new life we have in Christ is an abundant life? Peter makes a couple of additional statements in the beginning of his letter that remind us of the outlook we should have: “In all this you greatly rejoice,” and “you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

 

Jesus Christ sacrificed everything to free us from the condemnation of sin. He freed us to a life to be lived in expectation, a life that leads to heaven. Life is still going to be life with all kinds of “life stuff.” But we can’t let life rob us of the joy that comes from our salvation. We can’t forget where we are now headed (as opposed to where we were headed…). Jesus suffered the darkest day to offer us eternal life—that life starts now! We need to live in expectation of the life to come by being filled with joy now. We need to live that life every day, not just during the Easter season!

 

Reminder: Live like you’re headed to heaven!