June 2023
Nougat 4
Please receive today’s Holy Nougat
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT
So Christian Hope is the result of trusting God. I don’t know what that means for those outside of our Faith, but I find that I do concur with Paul. It is truly God’s track record that is tried and proven. Not only because of Jesus Christ, our gift, but on God’s own merit.
Just think … in Creation, God began with the desired result – human beings in an environment fully equipped for all our needs. Being as process-oriented as God is, having the clear end result, resulted in the methodical organizing of the required infrastructure: Light, Separation of Earth from Heaven, Greenery, Water, Beauty, Creatures, etc. Had we been there, our Hope would be focused on the outcome. But it’s the quality of God’s prior work at and in Creation that affirms … God knows what God’s doing. God’s concern for plant growth meant light was priority. Light is less visible without darkness. So the darkness has its own merit in the process, though we may not desire it.
We might also need to catch the lesson or the experience on its own merit. Perhaps there is need to ensure that our desired outcomes and the steps are aligned with God’s. And that becomes possible when we allow God’s Spirit to be in control. Not us, for we might not have all the required steps. But God’s Spirit does. And, God’s Spirit dwells in the very presence of God, right there at the Source.
By yielding to God’s Spirit we will be filled and overflowing for the benefit of others. For our experiences aren’t usually just for us – good, bad, or ugly – they can benefit others. We should also ask ourselves how God could transform our experience for others, and offer ourselves as the conduit for same.
From the testimony, from the overflow ever always for God’s glory.
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May all we seek be found in Christ