December 3 – Romans 15:1-13
Hope. We end our first week of celebrating the Biblical attribute of hope by reading a passage in Romans that speaks that word over and over again. I counted four happy mentions of hope in the passage. Paul is encouraging the Christians of Rome, who lived in difficult times, to not lose hope. God Himself, says Paul in verse 13, is the “source of hope,” and that hope is a “confident hope.” The lovely thing about being a Christian, no matter whether the times are easy or difficult, is that we know that it ends well for us! No sorrow or trouble will last forever. The crying will come to an end some glorious day. Jews and Gentiles alike will be gathered into His loving arms if we trust in Him. You know what comes out of a hope like that? Faith. Joy. Peace. And those are the attributes we’ll be studying this month as well. How thankful I am for their steadying influence on me and how I live.
My verse: Romans 15:13 “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. They you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
My response: You are the Source of hope! Help me to remember that. Being able to trust in a bright future, even when the present looks dim, comes through the power of Your Spirit. I don’t have to manufacture hope on my own. Oh Holy Spirit, fill me with the sure hope of heaven – of the time to come when Jesus will reign and evil will be destroyed.
5 Minute Selah Moment – Light a candle and meditate on what it means that He is the light of the world.
