As believers in Jesus, we understand that we are living in the end times and know that Jesus’ return is soon. And according to scripture, we understand that there will be hardship and suffering in these last days. We expect that these things will happen. And we understand that things will get far worse for believers not better. The most important thing we can remember in this time is to hold everything on an open hand.
So how exactly do we navigate these end times? God gives us some incredible truth we can cling to in these verses in 1 Peter 1:3-5.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an INHERITANCE that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time”.
From this verse, we can see 2 fundamental truths that will help us in these end times:
1. PUT YOUR HOPE IN JESUS ALONE
Firstly, take a look at the part of this verse that talks of a “living hope”. One of the keys to navigating these end times is to make sure you place your hope in the right place. Our hope as believers must only be found in Jesus Christ.
If your hope is in anything outside of Christ, then you must unhook that. We can’t find our hope in a job or property or cars or even finances or anything outside of Jesus Christ. Why is this? Because all of these things are corruptible. They will not last and can be taken from us in a moment. If you place your hope in these things then you are building on shifting sand.
Be willing to lay down whatever you have to, including your life but never let go of Jesus. This verse in Luke 9:23 reminds us that the only way we can come to Jesus is by faith and to deny ourselves and follow Him.
Luke 9:23
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it”
Jesus is everything and so worth it. He is truly our only hope. Make sure that you are grounded in Jesus Christ. He is our only hope in this world where the sand is shifting beneath our feet. He is truly the only immovable rock we can build on.
2. WE HAVE AN ETERNAL INHERITANCE
The other key truth we need to stand on is to have an eternity perspective. We are not living for the here and now. Everything around us is temporary. Hold everything on an empty hand and cling to nothing but Jesus because a time may come when we as believers have to give up everything in order to follow Jesus. And if you feel this is too great a sacrifice, then remember that it pales in significance compared to what Jesus did for us on the cross. Salvation is found in Jesus alone. It’s more than worth it to give up whatever we need to to have Jesus because all eternity with Him awaits us. This life on earth is a drop in the ocean compared to eternity.
This quote from Jim Elliot (who died as a martyr) really captures perfectly how we need to approach our lives on earth:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep (his life) to gain what he cannot lose (eternity with Christ)”
*(words in brackets are our own)
The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl found in Matthew 13:44-46 can really help us put things into perspective. Jesus and his kingdom are a treasure of priceless value. Therefore, we treasure nothing and no one above Him and hold onto Him no matter what because salvation is found in Jesus alone.
WHAT DO YOU TREASURE ABOVE ALL?