No Greater Life

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

            Let’s unpack this verse.

            First, our God – the only One there is – is the God of hope.  His love, His grace, His mercy, and His compassion toward us point toward the truth that He is Himself our hope, and that He instills hope in us by virtue of His presence.

            Second, our God is capable of filling us with joy and peace.  We can know a life of joy and peace, but there is a condition:  we must believe.  We must commit to Him in a decision of believing before He will commit to us His joy and peace.  Faith is the key.  Anything else is a cheap imitation that has no eternal substance.

            Third, the power of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent to dwell in our hearts in a spiritual union, is what causes us to overflow with hope.  The Holy Spirit has the ability to change (or grow) us and to sustain us.  When He dwells within us, it is like a spring of water continually gushing and pouring out its life-giving waters.  

            So, this is the life God gives to us when we respond to His grace with faith.  This is a life that overflows with hope, with the certainty that He will keep His word eternally.  There is no greater life than this!

Lord, You are the Author of this life, and You are worthy of our praise and our thanksgiving.  Amen.