July 22 Praising God for Your Eternal Inheritance “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3). ✧✧✧ God has blessed you richly and is worthy of your praise. The source of your eternal inheritance is God, whom Peter described in several ways. First, He is our “blessed” God (1 Peter 1:3). The Greek word translated “blessed” in that verse speaks of that which is worthy of blessing, adoration, praise, or worship. Peter’s praise for God is an example for us to follow. Our God is especially worthy of our praise in light of the glorious inheritance He has granted us in His Son (v. 4). “Father” to the Jewish people of Peter’s day was a new designation for God. The most common Jewish blessings emphasized God as Creator of all things and Redeemer or Deliverer of His people from Egypt, but not as Father (e.g., Gen. 14:20; 24:27; Ex. 18:10). Yet now through Christ we “have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! [Daddy!] Father!’” (Rom. 8:15). As wonderful a reality as the Fatherhood of God is, Peter’s reference was not primarily to God as our Father but as Christ’s Father. Their unique relationship affirms Christ’s deity (cf. John 10:30–33). God is the Father of believers in a secondary sense because He has redeemed us through Christ and has adopted us into His family (Gal. 4:4–6). In referring to Christ as “our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3), Peter amplifies His redemptive work. “Lord” speaks of His sovereign rulership; “Jesus” is His name as God in human flesh; and “Christ” identifies Him as the Messiah, the anointed King. Peter’s final description of Christ is seen in the pronoun “our.” He is “our Lord Jesus Christ,” a personal Lord and Savior—not some distant, impersonal deity. He created and redeemed you because He loves you and wants to be intimately involved in every aspect of your life. What a glorious God we serve! Worship Him today as He deserves to be worshiped. ✧✧✧ Suggestions for Prayer: Bless God, who is your Father, your Redeemer, your constant companion, and the source of your eternal inheritance. For Further Study: Read John 4:1–26. What did Jesus say about the Fatherhood of God?
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 11:55:40 +0000