The Hope That Is in You
Month 10: Telling the Good News · Heart Matters
Today's Scripture
Read together: 1 Peter 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
Memory Verse
“But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect,”— 1 Peter 3:15 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Isaiah 1-4
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Near Day 288 of 365 — Isaiah begins; God calls His people to "come now, and let us reason together.")The Heart of It
Our memory verse tells us to be ready to give a reason "for the hope that is in you." But what is that hope? Today Peter tells us. He says God has given us "a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." He has also given us "an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you." Notice the word living. The world is full of dead hopes. We wish on stars. We hope a team wins. We hope nothing bad happens. Those hopes can break. But Christian hope is alive, because it rests on a Savior who is alive. Jesus walked out of the tomb, so our hope is anchored to a fact, not a feeling. That's why it can't be taken away.
Here's why this matters for telling the good news. You can't share a hope you don't actually feel. Some Christians stay silent, and it isn't because they lack arguments. It's because the hope has gone a bit cold in their own hearts. So before we worry about being ready to explain our hope, we let God refill it. Remember what He has done. He rose from the dead. He forgave you. He calls you His own child. He is keeping a perfect home for you that nothing can ruin. When that truth makes your own heart glad, sharing it stops feeling like a chore. It starts feeling like good news bubbling over, because that's exactly what it is.
Around the Table
Hope means being sure something good is coming. Because Jesus is alive, our hope is alive too. And it will never break!
Let's do it: Jump up high and say, "Jesus is alive, so my hope is alive!"
The world's hopes can let us down. But a "living hope" rests on Jesus rising from the dead, a real event.
Let's talk: What's the difference between wishing for something and the living hope we have in Jesus?
Peter grounds Christian hope in the resurrection and in an inheritance "reserved in heaven" that can't fade. Our hope is anchored to history and guaranteed by God's power. It doesn't depend on our performance.
Let's go deeper: If hope is sometimes cold in your heart, what's one truth from these verses you could rehearse to warm it up again?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's something you're really looking forward to? Now imagine a hope so good it could never be canceled. That's what we have in Jesus.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone calls Christian hope "wishful thinking," kindly explain the difference. Wishful thinking has nothing behind it. But our hope rests on a real, risen Jesus and an empty tomb. assumes you have a reason for your hope, not just a wish.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Peter assumes something striking. He assumes that ordinary believers will be asked about their hope. That only happens when hope is visible. A man faces job loss, a hard diagnosis, or a wayward season with a steadiness the world can't explain, and people start wondering why. Your apologetic begins long before any conversation. It begins with whether your home runs on living hope or quiet anxiety. Children are extraordinary readers of their father's inner weather. If your hope rests on circumstances, they'll learn to hope in circumstances too. But suppose they watch you anchor to the resurrection when life gets hard, genuinely and not as a slogan. Then you give them the most evangelistic gift a father can give: a hope worth asking about. Tend your own hope first. It's the thing they'll most want to copy.
Draws on: Tony Evans, Kingdom Man.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for a living hope through Jesus' resurrection. It is a hope that can never be taken away. Keep this hope warm and bright in our hearts so it spills over to others. In Jesus' name, amen."
My hope is alive because my Savior is alive. And a living hope is worth sharing.