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3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. 9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9 RSV)
I pray the message of new life and a new hope bless you, my dear Eradio, for indeed these are difficult times, more so for some than others, but still a general stress seems to be in the air and is manifesting itself in different ways. The key is not to fall into deep sadness or depression. I know some of you have experienced some times of weeping (my hand is raised too!); others that your temper fuse has gotten shorter, or any number of behaviors that you didn't usually experience when things were their old way. To us all, I say, God is with us and God can help us. Please continue to pray for a vaccine or cure to help us rid the world of this deadly virus! In Jesus' name!
This passage we have attributed to Peter the apostle; lead disciple and close follower of Jesus. Peter was probably the most "fully" human of them all, because like some of us, spoke before he fully thought it all out, and acted more on impulse than on anything else; but his years with Jesus blessed him with hope and a faith that helped him write out these precious and powerful words. Peter credits a new life and a new hope to Jesus. The resurrected life, Peter knows, helped make possible a new attitude towards life and all of life's challenges. He calls this part of "an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." Peter also says this is reason for rejoicing; though he knows not all are at that point, but even the suffering that comes in various trials, still overcomes those so that we can praise God with all honor and glory. Through all of this, we hold on to our salvation; God plucked us out of the coming eternal fire and gave us life!
PRAYER: Loving God, bless us with this new life and new hope. May we all rejoice and be glad that You are with us, holding us tenderly and gently; and while the storms of life may rage on outside of us, we long for the coming of peace and healing. Bless us according to our needs and guide us gently on towards You. This we pray in the name of He who is risen, Christ Jesus our Lord, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Find ways to bless others to lift their spirits!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
