Snapshot 4: Overflowing Hope! Romans 15:13

 

     This old waterwheel at Crescent Moon Ranch along Oak Creek near Sedona, was built to provide electricity for a fruit tree orchard. As you can see on top of the waterwheel there is a flume. The flume started upstream and diverted water from the creek to turn the wheel. The generated energy ran pumps to irrigate the trees. This made the orchard very successful because they were able to utilize the resource of the creek which produced good fruit. Similarly, when the Lord fills us with joy and peace, we can have overflowing hope and produce good fruit. 

     There are so many things that people put their hopes into, like riches, a political leader, their health, or pretty much anything. If we put our hope in worldly things that don't last, when they don't work out the way we want or are taken away, you end up being discouraged and depressed. Romans 15:13 says "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". This verse shows us that overflowing hope lasts and who gives us that kind of hope. 

     Hope is “the expectation that some desire will be fulfilled.” In the Bible, hope is a confident expectation or firm belief in the fulfillment of God’s promises. Overflow with hope is also translated abound in hope. This is a hope that is beyond all human capacity to produce or describe. The original Greek verb translated “abound” means “to run over, be wealthy, have more than enough, transcending all boundaries.” 

 So how do we have this hope? This is a hope that only the Holy Spirit's power can bring. The Holy Spirit makes the Word of God alive in our hearts and  teaches us God's truth. He leads us into all truth. He shows us the things of God. So through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God in our lives, hope overflows.    

      The object of hope for every believer is God. He is the source of eternal hope, life, and salvation, He is the "God of hope" because He generates hope in us. God is the one who fills us with joy and peace as we believe in Jesus Christ and put our trust in His Word, Our belief is based upon the fact that God said it.

     We can overflow with hope because of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and in His resurrection from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time".

Picture taken at Crescent Moon Ranch 

Sedona ,AZ 

Camera: Nikon d5300. Lens: Nikkor 18mm-55mm 

Camera Settings: f/11, 1/320sec. ISO-400, 55mm focal length