“You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit.”1 Peter 1:2 (GNT)
Many people in our broken world ask why things don’t seem to go right so much of the time. They want to know, “Is there hope?”
Hope is essential.
You and I need genuine hope—not just optimism. Optimism is psychological; it’s based on the way you think. Hope is theological; it’s based on who God is and his relationship with you. Optimism is positive thinking. Hope is passionate trusting.
The book of 1 Peter is a letter of hope. Peter wrote it to Christians who were suffering persecution in the Roman Empire.
In the first seven verses of 1 Peter, God gives five roots of radical hope. Over the next few days in these Daily Hope devotionals, we’ll look at each of those five roots.
The first root of radical hope is this: God chose you before you chose him.
The Bible says, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2 GNT).
Your salvation is no accident. Long before you chose God, he chose you. You were his idea. Before God even created the universe, he decided he wanted to create you.
Look again at 1 Peter 1:2. It says, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God.” That means God has a purpose for your life. What is that purpose? He wants to make you holy for heaven.
In other words, God has chosen you to spend eternity with him. That’s a big deal! In fact, it’s the highest honor you could ever receive.
And it’s the first reason you can have hope, no matter what’s going on in your life.
Let this root of radical hope grow down deep in your life: Before you chose him, God chose you to spend eternity with him.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Your Gift Brings Hope to the World
Transform your prayer life with God’s Word!
True breakthrough from the struggles of life begins with prayer—and there is no better place to start cultivating a powerful prayer life than the Bible.
Discover the biblical wisdom you need to transform the way you pray when you dive into this special collection of verses from God’s Word. You’ll be inspired and encouraged by Scripture as you learn to trust in his promises.
Drawing key verses from Pastor Rick’s "40 Days of Prayer" teaching series, this set of 52 beautifully designed cards will help you memorize God’s Word so you can access it when you need it most—and it’s our thanks for your gift today to help more people experience the transformative power of prayer through Daily Hope!
Thank you for helping share the hope of Jesus Christ. May you enjoy a time of breakthrough as you fill your heart and mind with the truth of Scripture.
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