“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.” — Romans 15:13
How do we have hop? It is not something we can create ourselves. Hope flows from God through the Holy Spirit.
In our Methodist tradition, we view spiritual growth as a journey of grace. God’s prevenient grace draws us near to Him, justifying grace restores our relationship with Him, and sanctifying grace continues to shape us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:13 shows us the movement of God’s grace. As we trust in God, He fills us with His joy and peace, and we begin to be filled with hope.
Lent is a time of reflection, repentance, fasting, and self-denial. But being a Christian is not all serious and about abstinence from fun. As Christians, we are filled with God’s joy and peace. Joy and peace are fruits of the Spirit that we have been blessed with to enjoy.
When God fills us with hope, it flows over to loving others and showing compassion and acts of mercy in the world.
Reflection Question:
(1) How can the hope God gives me overflow into acts of love toward others?
Prayer
God of hope, fill our hearts with Your hope, joy and peace in our daily lives so that we can reflect Christ’s love to the world. In Jesus’s Name we pray, Amen.
