Sunday, December 23, 2012

Sunday, December 23rd

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Hebrews 11-13
Today's scripture focus is Romans 15:13

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I'm just going to quote MacArthur on this one....


That really is the summation of the whole epistle. It's a benediction to wrap up everything. And it's a prayer, the God of hope, the God who is the source of eternal hope, the source of eternal life, the source of eternal salvation, fill you up, leaving nothing out. Literally overflow you with joy and peace that comes in believing, that you may super abound in hope through the agency of the power of the Spirit of God. In other words, that's another way of saying may you get all there is to get and may you know all the joy and all the peace and all the hope that can possible be given to you through believing in Christ by the power of the Spirit of God.
You know what that's calling for? You know what his benediction really is? May you be totally spiritually satisfied.
May you be totally spiritually satisfied, filled with joy and filled with peace and filled with hope to overflowing. That's what salvation was intended to bring. It's a prayer for a satisfied soul which is to sweep back through the whole epistle, may you know forgiveness, may you know peace, may you know hope, may you know love, may you know victory over sin, may you know the power of the Spirit of God, may you know the obedience of a spiritual life, may you know the use of your spiritual gift, may you know a right relationship to people, a right relationship to government, may you know the love, may you know the sense of urgency, may you know how to care for each other as weak and strong, may you know all that God could possibly overflow to you in the power of the Spirit and thus be a fully satisfied believer. His prayer, his benediction is that we might be fully satisfied in Christ.

Tomorrow's scripture focus: Romans 15:14-16
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: 2 Timothy

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