“Now the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in Hope, through the Power of the Holy Ghost.”
Romans 15:13
When we “walk in His Spirit” (Rom. 8:1), His indescribable Love “fills us with all the fullness of God, which enables Him to do exceedingly above all that we could ask or think” (Eph. 3:19-20).
Let’s face it: The majority of us live sub-standard lives in comparison to what’s available in the light of Scriptures. We read of the exploits of the Old Testament saints like Elijah, who could call down fire from Heaven and move God to stop the rain and then start it again, and we shrink back in guilt. Or, we read of the many miracles performed by Christ’s disciples in the New Testament and we inwardly wince, knowing that such experiences are pretty much foreign to us.
But, oh, dear Pilgrim, it need not be that way—especially if we believe Jesus’ words in Jn. 14:12 where He said “He that believes on Me, the works that I do shall he do also—and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto the Father.”
So, the question is, “What prevents this from being a reality in our lives?” And, the next question is “How do I position myself to receive all God wants to give?”
The first question is answered by Jesus Himself: “Because of your unbelief” (Mt. 17:20). He then launched into His Parable of the Mustard Seed and “mountain-moving faith” and the importance of “prayer and fasting” in the process (v.21).
And, the second question is best answered by simple surrender, where we say to our Lord, “Oh, Jesus, I truly want to be where You want me to be and be used by You however You deem best.” Again, this is the picture of the clay on the potter’s wheel (Jer. 18:1-6) and his remaking the marred vessel into “another vessel AS SEEMED GOOD TO HIM to make it” (v.4b).
As this occurs, we then realize today’s Manna comes into play. If we truly believe the Lord God is “for us” (Rom. 8:31ff), then we must believe this same “God of Hope WANTS to fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope through the Power of the Holy Ghost.”
How important it is to stress those three words “fill, abound and Power.” The Greek word “pleroo” is used for “fill” and also means “to cram, level up a hollow place, imbue, thoroughly satisfy, complete, etc.” The word “perisseuo” is used for “abound” and means “to super-abound, be in excess of, excel, more than enough and to spare, etc.” And, “dunamis” is used for “power” and is always the word used in relationship to Christ’s Resurrection Power.
Thus, our being “filled with Hope” and “abounding in joy and peace” is an outpouring of the Heavenly Father upon us in conjunction with our simple, childlike faith. And, it is a quickening of His Holy Spirit within us that enables us to be “more than conquerors through Him that loves us” (Rom. 8:37) instead of struggling stragglers who are trying to “just get by.” Glory!! Thank You, Lord.
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated August 22, 2010
