God Has Written My Final Chapter

In 1 Peter 1:3-4 I read, “Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.” (NLT)

It’s easy to look around the world and not see any reason for hope. But God’s Word is clear: I have real reasons to hope. The first chapter of 1 Peter gives five of those reasons. 

First, God chose me before I chose him. Second, God always treats me with grace and mercy. The third reason is this: God has secured my future. No matter what happens for the rest of my life, if I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, God guarantees my future. I will never be able to lose my salvation.

The Bible says, “Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT).

An inheritance is what I’m given because I belong to a family. Usually, it’s given to me at someone’s death. It’s like a birthright.

Peter gives five words and phrases to describe my inheritance in heaven:

Priceless: Its value is so great that I can’t even measure it.

Kept: I need a reservation to get into heaven, and I can only make that reservation through Jesus. Once I put in my reservation, it can never be canceled.

Pure: It isn’t fake. It’s the real deal.

Undefiled: It can’t be corrupted. I can’t lose it—ever.

Beyond the reach of change and decay: It won’t wither, die, or lose its value.

God has already written the final chapter of my life. I’ve got a reservation that I cannot lose! I can believe that, trust that, and put my hope in it.

In summary, It’s easy to look around and not see any reason for hope. But God’s Word is clear: I have real reasons to hope. 1 Peter gives five of those reasons. First, God chose me before I chose him. Second, God always treats me with grace and mercy. The third reason is this: God has secured my future. No matter what happens, if I have a relationship with Jesus, God guarantees my future. I will never be able to lose my salvation. An inheritance is what I’m given because I belong to a family. Peter gives five words and phrases to describe my inheritance in heaven: Priceless: Its value is so great that I can’t even measure it. Kept: I need a reservation to get into, I can only make that reservation through Jesus. Once I put in, it can never be canceled. Pure: It isn’t fake. Undefiled: It can’t be corrupted. I can’t lose it. Beyond the reach of change and decay: It won’t wither, die, or lose its value. God has already written the final chapter of my life. I’ve got a reservation that I cannot lose! I can believe, trust, and put my hope in it.

Peter's words offer joy and hope in times of trouble, and he bases his confidence on what God has done for me in Christ Jesus. I can live with the wonderful expectation of eternal life. My hope is not only for the future; my eternal life began when I trusted Christ and joined God's family. God will help me remain true to my faith through whatever difficult times I will face. No matter what trials or persecution I may face, my soul cannot be harmed if I have accepted Christ's gift of salvation. I will receive the promised rewards. I have a priceless inheritance that is guaranteed. Confidence in this is found in what God has done through Jesus. No matter what trials or persecution I may face, I cannot lose this inheritance. I can place my trust in it. 

God Cares How I Give, Not What I Give

In Hebrews 11:4 I read, “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings” (NIV)

It’s interesting that the first person who gets mentioned in Hebrews 11’s “Faith Hall of Fame” is Abel, one of Adam and Eve’s sons.

What did Abel do that caused him to be included alongside Moses and Abraham and other significant biblical heroes in Hebrews 11? As far as we know, Abel never did anything great. He never took any major risks. But he gave an offering in faith, and that pleased God. It’s not what Abel gave; it’s how he gave it. Abel gave with an attitude of faith.

Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings” (NIV).

Giving and faith go together. God couldn’t care less about the amount I give. God doesn’t need my money. He wants my heart.

In fact, if I’m not giving in faith, don’t give. The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).

There are two ways to give: I can give by reason, or I can give by revelation.

To give by reason is to sit down, look at the numbers, and figure out reasonably what I think it makes sense to give. But that approach doesn’t require any faith at all.

When I give by revelation, on the other hand, I let God reveal to me what he wants me to give in faith. I stop and take time to pray, asking, “God, how much do you want me to trust you for this time?” Then I do whatever he tells me to do. This is the kind of giving that stretches my faith because it’s not necessarily reasonable. It’s giving based on revelation. 

In the Bible, there was a group of early Christians that gave by revelation, not by reason. They lived in Macedonia, the same part of Greece that Alexander the Great came from. The Macedonian church had been through hard times and was extremely impoverished. Yet, when they heard that the church at Jerusalem needed help, they gave a sacrificial gift. Though the Macedonians had very little money themselves, they gave in faith to help their fellow Christians.

Paul says this about them: “They have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy” (2 Corinthians 8:2 NCV).  

Notice why the Macedonians gave? Not out of guilt? No, but “because of their great joy.”

When I give in faith, I give with joy. And, as a result of my joyous, faithful giving, I grow and ultimately become more like Christ!

In summary, the first person who gets mentioned in Hebrews 11’s “Faith Hall of Fame” is Abel. What did Abel do? As far as we know, Abel never did anything great. He never took any major risks. But he gave an offering in faith, and that pleased God. It’s not what Abel gave; it’s how he gave it with an attitude of faith.Giving and faith go together. God couldn’t care less about the amount. God doesn’t need my money. He wants my heart. If I’m not giving in faith, don’t give. “Without faith it is impossible to please God”. There are two ways to give: I can give by reason, or by revelation. To give by reason is to sit down, look at the numbers, and figure out reasonably what I think it makes sense to give. But that approach doesn’t require any faith. When I give by revelation, I let God reveal to me what he wants me to give in faith. I stop and take time to pray, asking, “God, how much do you want me to trust you for this time?” Then I do whatever he tells me. This is the kind of giving that stretches my faith because it’s not necessarily reasonable. It’s giving based on revelation. When I give in faith, I give with joy. And, as a result of my joyous, faithful giving, I grow and ultimately become more like Christ!

Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve's first two sons. Abel offered a sacrifice that pleased God, while Cain's sacrifice was unacceptable. Abel's sacrifice (an animal substitute) was more acceptable to God, both because it was a blood sacrifice and, most important, because of Abel's attitude when he offered it.