"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." (Romans 15:13)
According to Greg Laurie of Harvest Crusade fame, "this verse touches upon three important facets of the Christian life that should give you great joy:
-You have a new identity. When you accept Jesus Christ into your life, God gives you a new identity. You discover that you are not merely some product of random chance. You are not a speck in the universe. You are a child of God. And as God's child you can rest assured that you will be loved and cared for by your heavenly Father.
-You have power to face life. With that new identity and hope in Christ, you also have the promise of the Holy Spirit's presence and power in your life. The Holy Spirit works constantly in your heart, helping you to understand God's Word and to to transform your attitudes and behaviors.
An expanded translation of Romans 15:13 says that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook will be "radiant with hope". God has not left you to face life on your own. He has promised to guide you and strengthen you with His Spirit.
-You have hope for the future. As a Christian, you have hope and knowledge that there is life beyond the grave. Your last breath on earth will be followed by your first breath in heaven.
The world offers many roads to happiness: sex, money, power, personal success. But they are all cheap and worthless substitutes in comparison to knowing that you are God's child and that you have the hope of heaven.
"This," says Laurie, "is the only road to lasting--indeed, eternal--joy."
A wise man once said: "There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere." --John Wooden, legendary UCLA basketball coach
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in Me and will never perish. Do you believe this?"(John 11:25-26)
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