
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his
love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
-- Romans 5:5
THOUGHT:
Hope has become such a "wimpy" term in modern vocabulary. It
hardly qualifies as an adequate translation of the meaning in most
New Testament passages. Hope is the assurance that what we believe
will happen. We could call it spiritual confidence. We have that
spiritual confidence because more than just a wish, more than just
an emotion, more than just a belief rests in our hearts; God
himself lives in us through his Holy Spirit. When we become
Christians, Jesus pours out the Spirit upon us (Titus 3:3-7) as
God's gift to us (Acts 2:38; 5:32) to cleanse us (1 Cor. 6:11),
make us part of the same Body (1 Cor. 12:12-13), and live inside us
(1 Cor. 6:19-20). Paul adds one more thing to that list of
blessings from God's presence within us -- God's love. We don't
just have it; God keeps refreshing it through the Holy Spirit, just
as Jesus had promised (John 7:37-39).
PRAYER:
Holy and Almighty God, awesome in power and majestic in
holiness, thank you for not only coming to us in Jesus, but thank
you also for living in us through your Spirit. Please pour your
love into my heart so that the fruit of your grace may flow from me
to those around me and everyone around me will know of your grace.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.