Scripture affirms that hope is ours in Christ. We have it. It was something all the followers of Jesus knew and shared and spoke about.

Peter, that disciple who gets a lot of bad press, was one who had been with Jesus, saw Him face to face, sometimes misunderstood what Jesus was saying, but still believed that He was the Son of God. Peter knew what it meant to have hope in Christ. He got out of the boat and walked on water. He felt the hand of Jesus pulling him to safety when he doubted. And after he denied knowing Jesus, he was forgiven and restored and assured of his place in God’s kingdom. He knew all about hope. And God would lead him to write these words in his first letter that has been passed down to us today:

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

You and I have this hope because of Jesus. We know that He came into the world to take our place in punishment. He lived in obedience to all the law of God and then offered His perfect life as the payment for the sins of the world. He promised that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. That is our confidence. That is our certainty. That is our hope. No matter what the world throws at you today, you have this hope, and nothing can take it away from you.

Because of the confidence I have in Jesus, these are some of the things I hope for:

• I hope to spend eternity with my Lord and Savior.
• I hope all of you reading this will do the same.
• I hope more people will come to know Jesus as their Savior because of what we do as followers of Jesus.