What could be better?! In our reading from Jeremiah 31 God promises His people forgiveness and new hearts. In 1 Peter 1 we learn that Jeremiah and the other prophets were serving us by writing these things for us. Peter tells us how this forgiveness and new heart comes about – those who trust Jesus have been ransomed with the precious blood of Jesus (v19). Can you think of anything more precious than this? That the eternal Son of God should choose to take on a body so that He could shed His most precious blood for you.
His death for us means we can be “born again” (v3). This is not some strange brand of keen Christian, as if you can be an ordinary Christian or a born again Christian. Our sin is so serious that the only hope for us is a fresh start. Jesus told even the religious Nicodemus “you must be born again.” Wonderfully that is exactly what Jesus offers. Jesus death and resurrection means we can be born again and have a living hope. It’s not a vague hope, but a certain and living hope based on the historical facts of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
A wonderful future is kept for the Christian (v4), and not only that but God promises to keep (guard) the Christian for heaven (v5). He will definitely get us there, even though we will face trials while we wait. All the trials do is prove the genuineness of our faith. If everything was smooth sailing for the Christian, people may think we only follow Jesus because He makes life easier for us. But when they see us persevering through trials, they see our faith is genuine. Not only that, but just as a precious metal is refined by fire, so our faith is refined by trials. As we suffer Jesus becomes more real, more precious, and we long all the more for that wonderful inheritance of going to be with Him. Even though we don’t see Him, we love Him (v8).
How precious to belong to Jesus! Why not spend some time thanking Him now for all the blessings, and ask for His help to love Him and His people more.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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