May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)
For the most part I'm a very positive person and have always had hope even when things are the darkest in my life. I've always believed that something better is out there and that God's plans for my life are greater than anything that I might be going through.
Hope is one of the most important things for us to possess. We must not lose hope in God. He is the God of all hope.
Notice the first part of this verse - May the God of hope fill you with alll joy and peace in believing...
The result of hope is joy and peace - something that we all need in our lives.
The Psalmist asks this question - Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation (Psalm 42:5 ESV)
He is talking about depression and unrest - the opposite of that is joy and peace.
The result of the hope that we have is joy and peace in believing. In believing what? The scripture of God, the Word of God. Our belief is based upon the fact that God said it. The result of that belief is joy and peace.
People oftentimes put their faith in the joy and peace, or in a feeling that they have. "Are you a child of God?" "Oh yes." "How do you know you are a child of God?" "Oh, I feel such peace in my heart. Oh, I have such joy. I know I'm saved because I have never felt such joy."
People oftentimes put their faith in the joy and peace, or in a feeling that they have. "Are you a child of God?" "Oh yes." "How do you know you are a child of God?" "Oh, I feel such peace in my heart. Oh, I have such joy. I know I'm saved because I have never felt such joy."
But wait a minute. It isn't believing in the joy and the peace, it is believing in the Word of God.
You see, if you say that you are saved because you have such peace and joy in your life, you may wake up tomorrow morning on one of those Mondays, and it is one miserable day and you feel horrible. You knew you shouldn't have gone to Freddy's after the service and had onion on the hotdog.
Now you are suffering for it and you are irritable, and you're upset. What does that say? "Oh, I am not saved today, because I don't have the joy and I am all irritable."
You see, the faith is not in the feeling. It is not believing in a feeling. It is believing the Word of God, what God has said. And so my faith is founded in the fact of God's Word. It doesn't change, feelings do. My feelings are changeable.
Feelings can change. They can be altered. The Word of God is forever established. And because my salvation and relationship with God is predicated upon His sure Word, my relationship with God never changes. It is established, and so it is the believing that has brought me the peace and the joy.
Paul said after fourteen days tossed in the ship, "Be of good cheer, for this night the angel of the Lord stood by me, and he assured me that though the ship is destroyed there will not be the loss of life. I believe the Word of the Lord."
Feelings can change. They can be altered. The Word of God is forever established. And because my salvation and relationship with God is predicated upon His sure Word, my relationship with God never changes. It is established, and so it is the believing that has brought me the peace and the joy.
Paul said after fourteen days tossed in the ship, "Be of good cheer, for this night the angel of the Lord stood by me, and he assured me that though the ship is destroyed there will not be the loss of life. I believe the Word of the Lord."
Paul was cheerful. He was happy. He was encouraging them to be cheerful when they had lost all hope of ever being saved. They had given up hope of ever being rescued, of ever coming out of this alive. And to have a guy getting up and whistling and smiling, they probably wanted to have him walk the plank.
"Be of good cheer." "Are you kidding, man? I am so seasick. Fourteen days bobbing like a cork on the Mediterranean, haven't seen the sun and the stars." He didn't say, "Be of good cheer. I feel good today. I have a peace in my heart."
No, "I have the Word of the Lord and I believe the Word of the Lord." So the faith is established and it is solid and it is secure, because it is established in the Word and in the scriptures.
Now notice the second part of this verse - ... so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
It is the Holy Spirit who makes the Word of God real to my heart. It is the Holy Spirit that teaches me God's truth. He leads me into all truth. He shows me the things of God. He makes the Word of God alive in my heart.
So through the work of the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God in my life, hope abounds.
If you are a little low right now - don't depend on your feelings but depend on God. Trust Him and His Word and you will find the grace to meet whatever is before you in life.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)
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