>>>
Romans 15:13 - God of Hope.

Romans 15:13 - God of Hope.

Romans 15:13 (NKJV) 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 (TNIV) 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 (GW) May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy 
and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with 
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

This is Paul's benediction to his letter. What follows from this 
point are his personal plans and greetings.[Life Application 
Commentary] 

God of hope. This is one of many beautiful appellations given to 
our God in the New Testament. [Defender's SB] 

Hope The Greek term denotes "confident expectation" or 
"anticipation," not "wishful thinking" [Nelson SB] 

Paul prays that their faith may give them a life full of joy and 
peace and hope, which are all the results of true faith and of the 
presence of the Holy Spirit. [SDA Bible Commentary] 

Paul again prays for the believers (as in 15:5). This time Paul 
prays that the God who gives hope will give them joy (as they 
anticipate what God has in store for them) and peace (as they rest in the 
assurance that God will do as he has promised). Then, the believers can 
overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is by the power of 
the Holy Spirit that God accomplishes his care for his people--giving 
them endurance, encouragement, unity (15:5), hope, joy, and peace. 
Hope comes as a by-product of the Holy Spirit's work. It does not 
come from our own senses or experiences. [Life Application 
Commentary] 

The Holy Spirit transforms the lives of God's people. He uses 
His great power to do this, yet He does not overwhelm us. People who 
do not know Christ are without God and therefore without hope (Eph 
2:12). Christ through the Spirit brings us hope when we accept Him. 
That hope must be nurtured and cared for, especially in the face of 
persecution. To possess a steady hope that you will ultimately share in God's 
glory is a source of great joy (Ro 5:2). Christians may nurture hope; 
but ultimately only the Spirit keeps hope alive. We should pray that 
God will help us to overflow with hope by the power of the Spirit. 
[Disciple SB] 

   Lewis Smedes chose a provocative subtitle for his book 
Standing on the Promises: "Keeping Hope Alive for a Tomorrow We Cannot 
Control."  
   The seeds for the book were sown after the 1992 riots in Los 
Angeles, when Smedes was led "from charred ruin to charred ruin, from 
burned-out hope to burnedout hope, each sad scene seducing closer to the 
gully of despair." A few weeks later, while driving, Smedes was jolted 
by seeing above him a brilliant billboard above Airport Boulevard 
with three words in arresting red: "KEEP HOPE ALIVE."  
   To the L.A. residents with burned-out homes and businesses, 
despair often trumped hope. Anyone who has endured the tragic 
consequences of a degenerating culture and incessant world crises knows that 
hopelessness is a tempting option. But it doesn't have to be that way.  
   Smedes asks, "Why do some people always abound in hope and 
others always slouch to despair? How can we become more hopeful 
persons? How can we keep on hoping when our fondest hopes crash on the 
rugged edges of tragedy?"  
   The apostle Paul, who himself experienced plenty of tragedy, 
was one who always abounded in hope. We see how he confronted 
disaster with irrepressible hope when he wrote to the Romans, "We can 
rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they 
help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of 
character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation" 
(Romans 5:3-4 NLT). He went on to say, "Rejoice in our confident hope. 
Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying" (Romans 12:12 NLT).  
   Though in deep trouble, Paul emphasized hope. 
   Smedes says, "Choosing to keep on struggling against despair 
and to keep on choosing for hope - this is to take responsibility to 
write our life story empowered by hope."  
   Lord, you know it's often hard for me to feel hopeful. More 
and more I realize I can't create my own hope! It comes only from 
you. Help me get my eyes off my troubles and onto your grace and 
compassion for others.  
   The Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait 
patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled.... I pray that God, the 
source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you 
trust in him. Romans 15: 4, 13 NLT [The One Year Book of Encouragement 
by Harold Myra] 

   Jill Briscoe was touring new hospice facilities that were 
beautiful and made as much like home as possible. But these people aren't 
"home" yet, Jill thought. This is the start, not the finish; the 
beginning, not the end.  
   She shared the thought with the doctor and others with her 
that this was really a "birthing wing." Here was where people were 
going to be ushered into eternity.  
   What a marvelous image: the place of death transformed into 
the scene where anguish and pain and fears suddenly change into the 
triumph of birth and all the joys of new life. That is the firm hope of 
the gospel for every hospice.  
   Yet death is still a merciless enemy. We experience its 
ugliness. The horrific accident that suddenly rips a loved one away from 
us or the slow, often painful, process of dying can feel like a 
nightmare from which we cannot escape.  
   Jill says it was in just such a "bitter, despairing time" 
that she was greatly consoled by 1 Corinthians 15:  
      Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a 
great harvest 
      of all who have died.... Our earthly bodies are planted in 
the ground  
      when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our 
bodies are  
      buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. 
They are buried 
      in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.... When 
our dying  
      bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never 
die, this  
      Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in 
victory. O death, 
      where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (1 
Corinthians  
      15:20, 42-43, 54-55, NLT) 
   Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer, grant me the faith to believe 
that your promises of new life beyond the grave are true. Help me to 
live here and now with that lively hope that enables me to live in 
your strength and love.  
   I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely 
with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow 
with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 
15:13 NLT [The One Year Book of Encouragement by Harold Myra] 

The normal Christian life is to be characterized by hope, joy, 
and peace. As we grow in grace, God wants us to experience more and 
more of each of them--and if they're lacking, something has gone 
wrong. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley] 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/

Grace Notes: http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php

Excellent Spiritual Resource Site: 
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/   

More Spiritual Resources: http://www.aBible.com