June 3rd, 20

JUNE 3,  OUR SOURCE OF STRENGTH

Our readings today are Proverbs 25-27 and Romans 15.  They are being read from the New Living Translation.

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. (Rm 15:13)

All these good things like joy, peace, and overflowing confident hope, are gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Are you joyful?   Do you have peace?  Do you have a confident and overflowing hope?  Well, you can.  And it’s something you don’t have to muster it up and that’s good news. We might temporarily seem to have developed one of these qualities, but for it to be something that it is overflowing, that is not within our own ability to do.  No.  That’s sourced somewhere else.  That comes from the Holy Spirit.  That quality of life that we all desire, finds its origin not in us, but in him.  It comes from Christ living his life in and through you.  Paul knew it was Christ in him.  He says,

So I have reason to be enthusiastic about all Christ Jesus has done through me in my service to God.  Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me (Rm 15:17-18 NLT).

It’s Christ working in and through us, that brings about this overflowing life of joy, peace, trust, and confident hope, that we all desire.  We can’t conjure it up.

Don’t rely upon yourself to bring about that overflowing life.  Instead, trust him and begin to find that overflowing life, in Him.  It’s available to you today, by faith.

You are loved!