| 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. – 1 Peter 1:3–5
How do you feel about your birthday?
Over the years I’ve met people who feel all sorts of ways about their birthday. Some say they “hate” it while others love it enough to the extent of having whole week-long and even month-long celebrations. Still more, there’s a group that remains completely indifferent regarding their day. In our home, birthdays are a moderately significant deal. Robyn typically gets up early, hangs a banner, and makes a birthday breakfast for every birthday boy we’re celebrating. We try to prioritize the day or have a family party as close to the date as possible.
I’m actually feeling a bit of angst right now as I’ll be traveling next week over my oldest’s birthday. Trust me, I’m not happy about it. But thankfully, he’s being incredibly gracious about it. And although we’ll celebrate as soon as I get back, there is still a part of me that feels really bad. Why? Because, however you feel about your own birthday, celebrating other people’s birthday is an expression of love and affection. It says, “I’m glad you were born and I’m excited to take another trip around this sun with you! Here’s to another 365 days of relationship!”
So, I say let’s celebrate these physical birthdays while we’ve got them. But let’s not forget that there is another birthday worth celebrating that is infinitely more important. You see, when our physical birthdays are complete, we will live on to celebrate our spiritual birthday because as Peter states above, we’ve had a second birth. More specifically, we’ve been “Born Again.”
Do you know the date of your second birthday? Do you remember the time and place you repented of your sins and trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior? If you do, that is incredible. I wish I could remember the exact date because I for sure think it’s a date worth putting on your calendar and celebrating.
This week we are going to learn how we’ve been reborn to a living hope! And how our rebirth places us on the glorious anvil of God that we might be forged to bring greater glory to Him. Take some time to read 1 Peter 1:3-12 and consider how you’ve been reborn and how you are being forged to bring greater glory to God.
Love you Church,
Jerry Lingenfelter
Senior Pastor |
