Romans 15:13. 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.
Abounding in hope.
Is this your life? Does this sound like your Christian experience?
Some Christians have placed their faith in Christ for salvation and forgiveness, but do they experience lasting hope, peace, and joy. They believe chapter 3 through 5 of Romans – Jesus died FOR me. But that’s as far as their faith has taken them. They’re going to heaven, but they live for this world. And sadly they are missing out on the normal Christian life.
Others have moved into chapters 6 through 7 of Romans – I died WITH Jesus. They believe they are dead to sin and to the law, and have been made alive to God. Their faith has taken them deeper into their union with Christ. And with faith in this union has come a deeper level of hope, joy, and peace. The Romans 8 experience if you will. They live beyond this world. They look forward to a future restoration of all things. They trust in a glory tomorrow that makes them more than conquerors today. That’s hope!
And then there are those few who have moved from Romans 6-8 into Romans 12-14. Because they are abounding in hope, they are able to present themselves as living sacrifices. They love with genuine love. They pursue peace for everyone – weak Christians, strong Christians, their neighbor, even their enemy. They joyfully prove the will of God, and use their gifts to serve the world. They live as kings and queens in a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy (14:17).
What makes the difference? Why do different Christians have different experiences of Christ? Why do so many fail to abound in hope? Why are so many Christians not living the normal Christian life of Romans 15:13?
The answer is faith. Believing. God fills us with joy and peace in our believing.
This is not about having “more faith.” Union with Christ is about the object of our faith, not the amount of faith that we muster up. It is about consistently having faith in our Savior, Jesus. Our Righteousness. Our Hope. Our Peace. Our Joy. Our King. Our God.
And look again at what Paul says in Romans 15:13. The power for the normal Christian life is the Holy Spirit.
Listen to me Christian, you already have ALL of the Holy Spirit. You cannot have more of him, and you cannot have less of him. You have access to ALL the hope, joy, and peace that exists in this universe. The reason you’re not experiencing it is because your faith is misplaced. But in believing we experience the life of Christ. His hope. His joy. His peace. Not in trying. In believing. We don’t achieve hope, joy, and peace. We trust that we already have it (read Romans 5:1-5 above again).
The reason you don’t feel hopeful today, the reason there is no peace and no joy, might just be because your faith is actually misplaced. It’s in yourself. Rather than in your union with Christ. Stop trusting in yourself. Stop scoring yourself. Stop evaluating your levels of hope, joy, and peace. And trust God’s hope, joy, and peace poured into you by the Spirit of Christ. By trusting his love poured into you, you have hope (5:5). By trusting his love in more and more situations of life, you can abound in hope.
“To live is Christ” means this life changing faith is possible. The God of hope wants you to abound in hope. He wants you to experience joy and peace. And so do I. What’s stopping you?
Only you.
You
Are you experiencing the normal Christian life of abounding hope? Why or why not?
You in Christ
How does knowing Romans 5:1-5 allow you to trust God with every area of your life today?
Christ in you
How might today look different if you were actually able to abound in hope?
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Playlist: Abounding In Hope.
Click Here to this playlist on Spotify!
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To see today’s post from the TLIC Family blog –> Click Here
To Live is Christ 