1 Peter 1:3

NASB	NLT	VOICE
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,	3 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,	3 Blessed is God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! Because He has raised Jesus the Anointed from death, through His great mercy we have been reborn into a living hope –

The Gift of Mercy

In the Old Testament, God’s mercy is connected to how He responds to His dealings with Israel. In the New Testament, mercy shows through the life and sacrifice of Jesus. Overall, mercy shows that our rescue from sin is not something done by our actions but is a gift from God. Through God’s mercy, we are born again. It signifies a spiritual rebirth and transformation. It’s through the work of the Holy Spirit; it starts the beginning of a believer’s new life in Christ. We are reborn into a living hope, leading towards an everlasting inheritance that we can have through Christ. It’s not just about wishful thinking. It’s a hope that keeps us going through our trials and conflicts. This new hope comes from the resurrection of Christ. It validates Jesus’ teaching and His victory over sin and death. For us, it gives us hope for a future resurrection and place in eternal life.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What does your hope in Christ give you confidence and mercy in?

Understanding Salvation

The role of mercy is the core of our salvation. It’s not something that we earn. It’s a gift from God, and it teaches us that need to respond to salvation from a place of gratitude and humility. Before we start to describe how we can live in a way that responds to that gift, we must understand what salvation is simply. We don’t use salvation in our common conversations so let’s define it from a shared universal perspective.

The Greek word for salvation is sótéria (so-tay-REE-ah). The core of what this word represents is that God alone saves us. This word can be used in the context of physical rescue, to preserve a relationship, or an eternal redemption. There are two things that are essential for salvation, in my personal opinion:

• We need to join belief in our hearts with confessions from our mouths – Romans 10:10
• We need to understand the teaching of Scripture – 2 Timothy 3:15

Overall, salvation comes from God’s original purpose for us, achieved through Christ’s sacrifice, and applied by the Spirit’s power that resides within us.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Does this explanation help you understand salvation, or does this confuse you?

God’s Command at Our Core

Our rescue from sin’s chains is something that we desperately need. We are in a fallen world. We live in a fallen world driven by desires, temptations, materialism, and consumer capitalism – systems that often shun the call to meet others’ needs, reject policies that ensure equal care, and hoard wealth while neighbors struggle in poverty. With sinful actions that are around us so frequently, it’s hard to continue to follow the teachings of Christ. It can feel wrong, isolating, and more. It’s hard to create a balance in that we keep our earthly relationships together while also following the teachings and commands of God.

Everything creates a balance in life, and we must keep God’s commands and teachings at the foundation of everything. Am I saying that we sacrifice God’s teaching in some things? No, not at all. I’m saying that we must follow and understand His teachings, so that we can apply them to our modern contexts instead of the original historical and cultural contexts. The authors wrote directly to their time, but the Spirit speaks through their words directly to us as well, calling us to discern how these truths apply in our modern . This requires us to dig deeper into the text, understand the key takeaways for it, and seek ways to apply it in our world.

This gift of discernment, among the many other blessings and gifts, is something we can respond to with humility and grace. We can learn to accept God’s teachings and provisions and how we can apply them to this world. This may mean we lose out on relationships and career opportunities because they could interfere with God’s command. It’s a hard reality we must face as followers of Christ. It’s one we can manage though, through the strength and wisdom of God. The more we stay connected to God’s word and world, the more we will find His blessings, provision, and success in our world.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How do you see yourself taking in more of God’s command to live a healthy life in our fallen world?

PRAY Action

Praise God for His mercy. According to scripture’s teaching, we would be eternally separated from life with Him if it was not for His merciful act to send Jesus to the world to die for our sins.

Read Exodus 34:6-7

Ask God how you can be more like Him. This passage shows how compassionate, gracious, patient, kind and faithful God is. Ask Him for ways and understanding to help us adopt these characteristics and reflect them to our world.

You are meant to be a part of this world. You did not deserve the hurts that you have faced, but you deserve to live your best life that God has created for you.

Next slice of manna: A Promise Unchanging || Titus 1:2 || Manna for the Mind #350