DEVOTION – DAY 407

Romans 15:13 “Hope In Christ”

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

A Christian’s hope is different from that of the world. Non-Christians use the word “hope” to mean they wish, or they are optimistic about something. For example, they hope that it will not rain tomorrow, meaning that they wish with some optimism that the weather will be dry. But for Christians, their hope is much deeper because they hope in the Lord. This means that they confidently expect and they have the blessed assurance of a future destiny, that is based on God’s love for them. Their hope is revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. That hope rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for our behalf. So, all hope that a Christian has comes from God, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians cannot create hope by their own human effort. It is God’s gift by the Holy Spirit. This hope brings Christians joy and peace, because they know that God had forgiven them for their sins and have accepted them into His family. 

I once organized a meeting for a group of Christians, and 14 people agreed to attend the meeting. Everyone said they hoped to attend. What that meant was that unless they were unwell, or something urgent came up, they would attend as agreed. On the afternoon of the meeting, there was a heavy thunderstorm. Some roads were flooded, and trees were uprooted, blocking a few major roads. This caused severe traffic jams. In the end, one by one, the 14 men called me to say that they were caught in bad traffic and would not be coming after all. Their use of the word “hope” was how the world used it – that they were optimistic about coming but there were always possibilities of some last-minute obstacles that may prevent them from coming. 

On the other hand, before I was a Christian, I used to avoid attending funerals because it reminded me of death. But after I became a Christian, I knew I have hope in the Lord. I have eternal life and I lost my fear of death. My hope in the Lord is an absolute certainty and that made all the difference.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for your gift of hope in the Lord. Thank you for this blessed assurance in Him. Please help us to live our lives not in fear but always in victory and for your glory. We humbly ask this in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What does your hope in the Lord bring into your life and how can you tell this to others so that they will also have the same hope?
  2. How can you thank God the hope He has given you in Christ?
  3. How have you experienced joy and peace because you have hope in Christ? Share.