OVERFLOWING WITH HOPE

 

Romans 15:11-13  And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." And again, Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)
 

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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages

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It is horrible to be excluded. That is why there is such joy when people realise that Jesus (the 'Root of Jesse') is not only appointed the King over Israel but also over every person in every other nation too. There is no place on earth where Jesus will not welcome those who praise Him. Wherever people trust Jesus, they find that their faith has long distance vision, called 'hope'. This is not a dream but a confident reality: we shall see Jesus and be transformed to be like Him. When that day comes, every injustice will be dealt with and every act of faith rewarded.

True faith cannot exist without hope. We do not believe in order to survive each day, but to enter into a long term relationship with our Master. The Bible provides God's promises of eternal security for all who trust in Jesus: and that is the hope which sustains us. But more than that, our confidence in God's ability to keep His promises (validated by the resurrection of Jesus) enables our confidence to overflow with hope. With the long-term relationship secure, we are also free to enjoy peace and joy each day as we wait.

The consequences of trusting in Jesus include: praising with a full heart, worshipping with a world-wide family, joy, peace and overflowing hope; all because the Holy Spirit is powerfully at work in our hearts and circumstances. Through Him our hearts are strong in the face of intimidation, steadfast in persecution, patient through hardship and enduring through opposition ... all because we have the confident long term view that Jesus is Lord, and we are safe in Him!

Prayer:  Eternal God. Thank You that the gospel presents such a glorious future, where Jesus Himself is the light at the end of every tunnel. Please forgive me for having too short a view, looking only at the ground in front of me rather than the horizon. Please help me to see that I am included in Christ's eternal kingdom and that the trials of life will not last for long compared to eternity in Your presence. In Jesus' Name. Amen.