Today is October 2 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
 
Today’s reading is from the book of 1 Peter, chapter 1.  
 
3 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, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 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. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  
  
Peter writes with such a vigorous hope – what he calls his ‘living hope’. As we begin with prayer today, take a few moments to reflect on the state of your own hopefulness? Or perhaps, your lack of hope about something in particular? Bring it all to the Lord. 
  
Peter also calls us to rejoice - ‘though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief’. He seems so able, at least in this text, to hold this tension between the hardships of this world, and the promise of the next world. Listen again and allow the spirit to draw your attention to a particular word or phrase....  
  
The phrase that stands out for me is ‘in his great mercy’. Especially in times of present hardship, or grief, or testing... it is sometimes difficult to find our footing in the mercy of God. But God IS merciful. He shields you by his power. And He loves you with an everlasting love. Consider for a while what it means for you to be found in His great mercy.  
 
Music: "Your Love" -Vineyard Worship  
Your Love (feat. Tim Brown)