“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.”
1 Peter 1:3-12
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“In this you greatly rejoice.”
In the very introduction of his letter to the churches scattered, Peter begins with a beautiful list of blessings that we have in Christ.
For example, he speaks of a new birth; a living hope; an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade; God’s power; an inexpressible and glorious joy; even the very salvation of our souls. (I Peter 1:3-12)
The list is so magnificent and so powerful, he ends with a spiritual reality that is absolutely fascinating: “Even angels long to look into these things.”
Can you imagine? We have received a salvation so amazing and beautiful, that even angels around the throne of God right now, wish they could understand more about the experience we are having who through faith believe in Christ! Unbelievable!
In the middle of his beautiful list, Peter makes a short comment that often catches me by surprise, “In this you greatly rejoice.”
At first, I read it with a thought of, “Obviously. Of course I do. How can I not rejoice about a living hope, an eternal inheritance, the very salvation of my soul?”
But then, I often catch myself, “When was the last time I truly rejoiced in my salvation?”
Oh sure, I’m thankful for it. But “greatly rejoiced in it?”
When was the last time I truly uttered a prayer of praise and thanksgiving with overflowing joy in my heart toward the God who saved me?
It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day living of this world; caring for kids, working a job, taking care of the house, preparing dinner, running from activity to activity, or expending the mental energy required during a season of grief.
And too often, when that becomes the case, we neglect to take time to “greatly rejoice” in the amazing blessings we have in Christ.
So find time today, maybe before even scrolling past this post, to take a moment and intentionally rejoice in your salvation. Smile, pray, rejoice.
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Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your beautiful blessings. Help me to pause in my day-to-day living and truly praise you. May I always understand the magnitude of your gifts and rejoice in your name. Amen.