Romans 15:13 (NIV)
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.
Our Verse of the Day reminds me that not only is our Heavenly Father the God of love … the God of compassion … and the God of peace; He is the God of Hope … a hope that fills us with joy and peace as we learn to trust Him in all things. And that is a great truth for us to ponder as we continue to watch unsettlement, disruption, deception, and the forces of evil unfold before our very eyes. We live a world that is becoming more and more enshrouded in darkness as the culture further attempts to suppress the truth of God. (Cf. Romans 1:18-20) Yet, there is great news for those who believe! There is an overflowing of hope available through the power of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, this hope is found in Christ alone:
1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)
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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 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. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 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. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
This is the hope of the Gospel! And we find Paul attesting to these same truths in his letters. I especially love his prayer to the believers in Ephesus. His words abound with encouragement for us to fully know the hope to which we have been called:
Ephesians 1:15-21 (ESV)
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Oh, my friends, I pray you will rejoice in the hope that fills our hearts with the peace of God. Yes, the God of Hope is trustworthy! Let the power of His Holy Spirit increase and overflow within your inner being – enlightening you with the truth of your inheritance reserved for you in heaven. For there is no greater hope in this life than the one we have in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.
So Now You Know…
Have a Blessed Day!
In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace. When fears are stilled, when strivings cease. My Comforter, my All in All. Here in the love of Christ I stand. ~ From In Christ Alone ~ Keith Getty/Stuart Townend
So Now You Know 