Sunday, August 20, 2023

Romans 15:13-14 -- On Abounding in Hope

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another."
Romans 15:13-14


I like the fact that God is "the God of hope," which we are reminded is also the reason for the scriptures (Romans 15:4). Here, it tells us that hope comes through the power of the Holy Ghost, so as we hang on to that connection with God, we have inspiration and hope for the future.

I also love the idea that we are full of goodness and knowledge, and able to help each other. I think we underestimate our power for good sometimes, and feel that we are ineffectual and can accomplish little, but with God's help we can all make a difference for good in the lives of others, and we all have potential beyond what we realize--God can tap into that and help us to find a greater path than we could find alone... his path.

In this week's Sunday School lesson there was a quotation by Dallin H. Oaks that I really liked. He was explaining a parable where a farmer wants to give everything that he has to his child, and he says "That which I have I can easily give you, but that which I am you must obtain for yourself" (Come Follow Me, New Testament 2023, August 14-20), which is basically what God is saying to us. He wants to give us not only "stuff" but to help us follow his path and learn the things that he learned... as children of God (Romans 8:16-17) to grow up into greater possibilities than we currently have before us.

Today, let's do as Paul suggests and abound in hope, holding on to the scriptures and the power of the Holy Ghost, letting our goodness and knowledge flow out to others as we flourish in our connection to God.

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