The life of the believer is a life of living hope. God’s great mercy saves, and through the death, burial, and resurrection of his Son, the road home has been paved. The heavenly inheritance that awaits us is “kept in heaven” for us. Unlike the shiny objects that distract us, it is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.”

1 Peter 1:3-5
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, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

When Peter wrote these words, the persecution of Christians was raging in Rome. Peter knew that the persecution would expand throughout the Roman Empire. He wrote to encourage believers to stand strong. He wrote to remind them that this earth is simply a layover on the journey home.

“Normal” life (whatever normal is) can lull us into a temporal focus. But the valleys of life (sickness, death, divorce, job loss, job stress) remind us that heaven is our home and cause us to long for the certainty of eternity. That’s the message that Peter’s readers needed to hear. Maybe that’s the message you need to hear today.

Father, the journey to heaven is fraught with distractions. Keep our eyes fixed on the certain inheritance. As we watch things rust, rot, and disappear around us, thank you for the inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. In Jesus’ name. Amen.