Abound in Hope

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. 

Here’s that word again – HOPE.

Here’s that word again – JOY.

Here’s that word again – PEACE.

But there’s a new word in this verse – ABOUND.

HOPE, JOY, and PEACE are lit up around town on houses, in yard signs, on cute little mugs and wall hangings, and all over town!  However, for most, those words are not associated with the power of the Holy Spirit.  They’re associated with wishful thinking of what will be under the tree, giddy excitement over the fun of the season, and the hope of no war among the nations around us. 

However, after Christmas is over, we go back to not seeing those three words around town.  They won’t emerge again until next fall, when Christmas nears again.

I’m one of the many who feels a bit sad when Christmas is over.  I love being surrounded by the lights, the sounds, and the scents of the season and when it’s all taken down and put away, the darkness of the night seems especially dark, once the houses have removed their lights.

In this verse, we are offered to be FILLED with all of those same blessings by believing, and by receiving the power of the Holy Spirit so that we ABOUND in hope all year.

To abound means to “exist in large numbers.”

I want that for me and mine in 2015.  I want to abound in hope.  I want it for you, too.