1 Peter 1:4-5 “1 Peter 1:4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

“Now is the time!” “Don’t put it off!” “Invest in your future.” So go the calls to start saving, to start planning for the future, for retirement, for those “golden years.” I’d say it’s pretty good advice. And yet even the best retirement plan, even the most careful, the wisest investments are no sure thing. The stock market can crash. The home you invested in could burn to the ground. Some say you should invest in Gold, that it’s the surest thing. I’m reminded of Ron Swanson who invested heavily in gold and buried it. But even gold can fail you. For one thing it can be stolen!

We long to have certainty, to have something we can rely on and yet everything about this life is perishable, defiled and fading. And those “golden years”? Even if you have all the money you could want to enjoy them, it won’t be too long before your body fades and perishes.

The only true Gold standard for your future is what Peter refers to here. The inheritance which is yours through Christ. It is guaranteed to you through His Death and Resurrection. No stock market crash can change that. It is given to you through faith which is God’s work in you. A faith which is guarded for you by Christ himself so that none can come and steal it away. This inheritance is the resurrection to eternal glory. Those truly will be the golden years. An unending retirement. Unfading glory in the presence of Christ Himself. He is your living hope. He is the gold standard.

In Christ
Pastor Ude