Romans 15:13 tells us to abound in hope. But what did the Apostle Paul mean when he wrote these words? In this short devotional, we’ll read this scripture and discover How to Abound in Hope.
What does Romans 15:13 mean?
Let’s read this Bible verse together and find the meaning behind it and how it affects our lives today…
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The message of Paul’s words in Romans chapter 15 is a call for all Christians to abound in hope.
To abound in hope sounds like such an amazing thing to aspire to. On the surface, having an abundance of hope and being hopeful in all things sounds like a great idea.
But in reality, we don’t usually think about hope much or wonder whether we have it or not.
Our days are filled with so many other things that need to be done in a short amount of time. Things that seem so much more practical at the moment, like getting the laundry done or dinner cooked.
It’s true, we fall short of experiencing the hope God has for us when get caught up in the day-to-day stuff. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to experience the hope of God or to feel hopeful about the future.
So, I thought today would be the perfect time to talk about what it means to abound in hope.
But first, we have to ask…
What is the true meaning of hope?
Hope is an expectation that our current circumstances will get better.
The world sees hope as just wishful thinking, a Pollyanna kind of attitude that doesn’t really get you anywhere.
But hope in God is different.
As Christians, we don’t need to walk around with rose-colored glasses on. We have God on our side. And we can have complete confidence that He has everything under control.
This knowledge that God is in control is real and creates a lasting hope in us.
What does God of Hope mean?
Romans 15:13 tells us our God is a God of Hope.
That’s because God has not left us to face the struggles of life alone. He is with us in both the good and bad times.
He knows we have temptation and that we sin in spite of our faith. And that we need hope to carry us through those times.
So, in our sin and shame, He created a way to salvation and gave us a living hope.
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,
Jesus is the source of our hope!
Because of His great mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus, to be our hope and to die in our place.
Because Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross and rose again on the third day, He is our living hope.
Without Jesus, all hope of a future in heaven would be lost. But because of Jesus and His resurrection, we have hope if we believe in Him.
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How can hope abound?
If we want to claim this hope for ourselves, we don’t need to look any further than our original Bible verse for today, Romans 15:13 to find it.
This scripture tells us exactly how to abound in hope… “by the power of the Holy Spirit”.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we automatically receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)
So, if we believe in Jesus, we already have the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
The joy and peace we have in knowing Jesus lives inside of us. And along with this joy and peace, the Holy Spirit and hope remain in us, ready to be mobilized in our lives.
But just like following Jesus every day is a choice, so is harnessing the power of the Holy Spirit.
But don’t worry if that sounds hard. It’s not. We can tap into this power easily by walking with God every day. That means reading His Word, praying, asking for guidance, and seeking His will.
When we do these things consistently, we’ll see the hope we receive from the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.
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May the God of Hope Fill You
There will always be ups and downs in life. Some days we’ll feel hopeless and like nothing we do seems to work.
Sometimes those days will be few and far between. And sometimes they’ll pile up on top of each other.
On those days, we may feel alone in our hopelessness. But we can be sure, the God of Hope hasn’t left us all alone. He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit and His power to guide us through life’s struggles.
And during these times, God wants us to not only have hope but to abound in hope!
If we turn to Jesus, the source of our hope, He will see us through whatever trials we may face.
And no matter what our current circumstances are, through patience and perseverance, God will give us joy and peace in believing, and the ability to abound in hope.
A Prayer to Abound in Hope
My prayer for you is this… May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. And may you know the power of the Holy Spirit and How to Abound in Hope in Him today!
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Thanx for your words On subject. How to Abound in Hope. I need more of a understanding to someone else’s thoughts on it.
Hi Veronica, I pray this short Bible Study helped you understand the hope we have in knowing Jesus. Blessings to you!
It works with love, and is a lot more than wishing. Isn’t it?
Hi Rebecca, You’re so right. It works and is absolutely more than just wishful thinking. Thank you so much for stopping by! Many blessings to you!