Our Inheritance



 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.  As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.  I Peter 1:3-9

 

 

Personal note:  In the early 1970's I encountered the Gospel of Christ and embraced it with my whole heart.  Even though I had been baptized as an Orthodox Christian when six months old, I had not been raised in the Church.  So, when the Gospel was presented to me by Protestant friends back then I took it to heart and gave my life to Christ.  As a result I started reading the New Testament for the first time ever. When I came to these verses in I Peter, they spoke to me so profoundly, at such a deep level that I remember thinking to myself, "These will be the my life verses."  Between then and now, the Lord guided me through my Protestant understanding to the fullness of faith offered in the Eastern Orthodox Church.  As we read from I Peter during Great Vespers this evening, preparing for the Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul, these verses were read aloud.  I was overcome once more at hearing them and remembering my encounter with this passage many years ago and how it continues to speak to me.  I could not help but share them with you as a blessing for the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter & Paul.  May their intercessions guide and protect us and bring us to the heavenly inheritance as spoken of above.  Pres. Candace