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 Can Use My Mistakes for His Good

In Romans 8:28 I read, “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.” (GNT)

I need to face it. I do foolish things from time to time. I make mistakes.

But what I’m learning is that nothing I’ll ever do is beyond the capacity of God to use. I may make mistakes, but God doesn’t.

The Bible says it like this in Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose” (GNT).

When I make a foolish mistake, God promises he can use it for good.

To be clear, this isn’t a promise for everyone. The verse doesn’t say that God works everything out for good for those living in rebellion against him or for those who aren’t living for his purposes.

The promise is for people who come to God and say, “I want to live for your purpose. I don’t always get it right. But I want to do the right thing. I want to trust you, and I want to follow you.” Do that, and God will take it all and use it for his good.

That’s a reason for joy.

When I put my life in his hands, it doesn’t mean I’ll never goof up again. I’ll still make bad decisions. I’ll still mess up. But God can fit it all into his plans.

There is no plan B for my life. God knew all the mistakes I’d make before I was born. He also knew he’d fit those mistakes into his plan.

That means I can relax. I can stop being anxious. I can rest. Do my best with what God has given me. He will work everything into his plan.

In summary, I do foolish things from time to time. I make mistakes. But nothing I’ll ever do is beyond the capacity of God to use. Romans 8:28 reminds me: “...in all things God works for good with those who love him...”. When I make a foolish mistake, God promises he can use it for good. This isn’t a promise for everyone. It doesn’t say that God works everything out for good for those living in rebellion against him or for those who aren’t living for his purposes. The promise is for people who come to God and say, “I want to live for your purpose. I want to do the right thing, to trust and follow you.” If I do so, God will take it all and use it for his good. When I put my life in his hands, it doesn’t mean I’ll never goof up again. I’ll still make bad decisions. I’ll still mess up. But God can fit it all into his plans. God knew all the mistakes I’d make before I was born. He also knew he’d fit those mistakes into his plan. So, I can do my best with what God has given me. He will work everything into his plan.

God works in "everything", not just isolated incidents, for my good. God is not working to make me happy, but to fulfill his purpose. I am learning to trust in God and not in life's treasures, my security is in heaven, not on earth. My faith should not waver in pain and persecution, because I know that God is with me.

Live in the Joy of Forgiveness

In Psalm 13:5 I read, “My heart rejoices in your salvation.” (NIV)

As a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life. Why? Because I’ve been completely forgiven. There’s no longer a reason for guilt or shame.

Sounds like a good reason for joy.

The Bible says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).

Romans 8 was originally written in Greek. The word translated “no” is the strongest possible negative in Greek. It’s as if God was saying, “No, no, no—not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not a chance in your lifetime.”

That’s important—because one of the biggest reasons people lose their joy is guilt. Guilt and shame have the power to steal joy.

All of us make mistakes. But God doesn’t want me to live in self-condemnation, constantly telling myself, “I should be better.”

So how does God want me to handle my guilt? By coming clean and confessing my wrong. Go to God and say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then he’ll wipe away my sin.

Jesus Christ died on the cross so my sins would be forgiven and I’d no longer have to live with guilt! And he didn’t just die for the sins I’ve already committed. He also died for the ones I haven’t committed yet. They’re all covered under the cross.

Jesus took my condemnation. That’s why he died. My sins have been paid for. I don’t have to pay for them again.

That’s salvation, and it’s my most important reason for joy. It’s the joy of a clear conscience.

I can experience the same joy as King David had when he wrote Psalm 13: “My heart rejoices in your salvation” (Psalm 13:5 NIV).

In summary, As a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life. Why? Because I’ve been completely forgiven. There’s no longer a reason for guilt or shame. The word translated “no” is the strongest possible negative in Greek. It’s as if God was saying, “No, no, no—not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not a chance in your lifetime.” One of the biggest reasons people lose joy is guilt. Guilt and shame have the power to steal joy. All of us make mistakes. But God doesn’t want me to live in self-condemnation, constantly telling myself, “I should be better.” God want me to handle my guilt by coming clean and confessing my wrong. Say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then he’ll wipe away my sin. Jesus Christ died on the cross so my sins would be forgiven and I’d no longer have to live with guilt! And he didn’t just die for the sins I’ve already committed. He also died for the ones I haven’t committed yet. They’re all covered under the cross. Jesus took my condemnation. That’s why he died. My sins have been paid for. I don’t have to pay for them again. That’s salvation, and it’s my most important reason for joy. It’s the joy of a clear conscience. I can experience the same joy as King David when he wrote “My heart rejoices in your salvation”.

There are times when God appears to be slow on acting on my behalf. David felt this way also, but he continued to trust God no matter how long he had to wait.