Monday, December 26 – 1 Peter 1:3

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.

Many different emotions occur when a baby is born. The parents look at the child with wonder, making guesses on who he or she resembles more, what his or her personality will be like, and who the child will be. When they see the child, they see more than a baby, they see him or her through a future lens, even if they don’t know exactly what that will look like. Just yesterday, we celebrated the newborn King, the baby lying in a manger. Today, we still celebrate because His life was so much more than that one moment. His birth was only the beginning of the promises of hope in Him.

Because He was born, we can be born again! All year long we can live with this hope and assurance. No longer is our hope something far off—something to come—but a living reality at work in our lives every day. So many of us look at the world with despair and discouragement, forgetting the new life of hope we have been given. No matter our circumstances, no matter what the year may bring, we have hope in Jesus. This changes how we enjoy the beautiful days and walk through the difficult ones. We can look beyond today to see Him restoring all things in His time. As we conclude this Christmas season, the weary world continues to rejoice—the celebration is not over. Our hope is always alive!

• When is it most difficult for you to remember your hope in Jesus?
• What would it look like in your life to celebrate the hope of Jesus all the time?
• Praise and thank God that Jesus was born so that we could be born again!