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Hope

             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. (Romans 15:13)

          I’ve written before of an experiment with rats that showed that having hope can keep one alive and trying for many times longer than not having hope does. And that hope doesn’t even have to be fulfillable. The fact that a light on makes a path to escape visible – even if unreachable – gives reason to hope, even for rats. And, to be mindful of responsibilities – Hope is a strong belief that what is undesirable will end, go away, or not damage and/or that what is desirable can, may, or will happen. It’s the belief that good, improvement, or what is desired is possible and/or coming.

          Today’s passage describes God as the God of hope. As such, He can and will provide joy (the strong belief that one is cared for effectively) and peace (accepting circumstances as beneficial.) These are outcomes of our trust in Him. Our trust in Him is at least partly because He has cared for us effectively. As the old Prego ad said, “It’s in there.” It’s all in there, mixed to make  “Hope Sauce.”

          The verse mentions hope a second time. The power of the Holy Spirit is what causes our hope to overflow.  Not only are we supposed to be full (filled to the rim, to quote another old ad) but filling others with hope as well. At the very least, our hope should stain their “clothing” or life so that even the Tides of life can’t wash out. (Oh brother… for some reason, I’m being very “commercial” today.)

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