“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”—I Peter 1:3 (NKJV)

In the midst of World War 2, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s indomitable spirit helped keep hope alive in the hearts of the people he served. Even with the enemy advancing, he believed their victory was certain. With optimism, he declared,“ I cannot but think we have much to be thankful for, and more still to hope for in the future.”  

As we begin a new year, we can learn much from Churchill’s example. The enemy of our souls will continue to wage war and try to wreak havoc in our world, but we know that Jesus has already won the victory on the cross. With thankful hearts, we can look to tomorrow with unwavering hope because our Savior conquered sin and death. Our Defender is stronger than any wicked scheme seeking to destroy us. We can trust God will always win the day.  

Come what may, we can praise God because He has filled our lives with every spiritual blessing in Christ and equipped us with His armor. Jesus is our firm foundation when the battle is fierce. The Lord guards our minds with the helmet of salvation and protects our hearts with the breastplate of His righteousness. Because our warrior God faithfully fights for His own, we have nothing to fear.  

God has clothed us with His mercy and compassion, and the stronghold of shame can no longer hold us captive. Every morning when the sun rises, we receive an abundant supply of fresh mercy to help us meet each day with renewed hope. Our past sins and failures are covered by the blood of Christ, and we can move forward with confidence because we are a people set free.  

As the old gospel song declares, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.” Our death-defeating Savior holds our future in His mighty hands, and He is preparing a place for His own in heaven.  His unending hope is alive in our hearts because Jesus lives, and He will return to rescue us soon. Until then, let’s praise the God of hope who fills our lives with uncontainable joy and peace as we trust in His name. We have countless reasons to be thankful and even more as we anticipate eternity with Jesus to come.  

DIG: Read Titus 3:1-7. Paul challenged the early Church to never forget how God has saved them according to His mercy. How have the kindness and love of Jesus transformed you and given you unwavering hope?  

DISCOVER: Read I Peter 1:13-16, I John 3:1-3, and Hebrews 6:11-12. How are we called to live in light of the hope we have in Christ? 

DO: Read Psalm 103:1-5. Make a list of all the ways the Psalmist says we are blessed by God. Reflect back on the last 365 days and take note of every time God abundantly displayed His mercy in your life. Tuck your lists into your Bible and read them whenever you need to remember the hope you have in Jesus.