May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.
Romans 15:13 AMPC
Context and Charge:
Paul writes to the church in Rome, speaking to believers who were passing through persecution and tough times. It has to be clear that what God promises us is His presence, not the absence of pressure. For all who have come to believe in Christ as Saviour, irrespective of tribe, culture or tongue, they have come into the family of Christ, with access to all that Christ is and has. Faith in Christ is fundamental to this process, as there is nothing else God recommends as the key to this access. God cannot fill me with joy and peace outside of the One who births and sustains joy and peace, as joy and peace are part of the fruit of the Spirit. If I will be filled, I must submit the vessel to the One who can fill it. Of course, to be filled requires that I be empty and submissive, so that the One who can fill me right can do His work. Am I empty and submissive, willing and ready to take on that which God wants me to have?
There is always an end in view for all that God does. If He says He wants to fill me, it is because I am the expression of His creativity and inspiration. He wants to be known by the world. When I stand and speak, He must be made manifest. Even when I am silent, and I am just relating and interacting with people, the impact of his presence in me must be clearly felt. Even when there is pressure, trials and tough times and there is a squeeze on me, what flows out must be that which God has filled me with. This is quite important, as the world is looking for lives that will make a difference. He is the God of my hope, the One who makes these earthly experiences worth it. I know that it will not end down here on this side of earth, but that there is an eternal future He has planned and sorted out for me. Do I have a part in that future? Does God even know me as His own; as someone in whom He can work?
Conviction and Conclusion:
The joy of God's work in me is that it can never be kept to myself alone. God's work in a man's life will ALWAYS lead to an overflow. God keeps his eyes on eternity, and whoever He calls to use enters into a special relationship that will impact eternity. Ask Abraham and David, as well as Peter and Paul. It does not matter what the testament, dispensation or generation is; I cannot keep God's inner work in my life to myself; it is bound to flow out. The Holy Spirit is that sustaining power; He is the One who does the work in a submitted vessel. He does not force Himself on me, but when I come of my own freewill and submit, I have access to the abundance of the Spirit, and I have heaven's backing. Have I truly come into faith in Christ, or do I need to first sort out my standing with Christ? Eternity is too long a time not to be sure of where I will spend it. God's time of favour is here.
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