May all the promises of Jesus’ coming be yours!

“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

Joy, peace, and hope are three marks of a Christian, and this verse shows the way in which they are intermingled. Joy, peace, and hope all come from God through the power of his Holy Spirit. Paul writes this verse as a blessing and a prayer over his readers–including today’s believer.

For all who find their Hope in Jesus, He is the answer to every prayer, every need, and every uncertainty. Jesus is our only true source of Hope. The Hope we have in Jesus leads us to experience pure Joy.

In Nehemiah 8:20, we are reminded that “the Joy of the Lord is our strength.” Singing “Joy to the world, the Lord has come,” we find Joy as we celebrate the birth of a baby that is born a king. This Joy leads us to an inner Peace–the “ peace that passes all understanding” that Paul tells us about in Philippians 4:6.

The Joy of the Lord was recently experienced as Mission Encounters International brought David Cheni from Uganda to the United States for Heart of God and Four Fields training. This picture-driven discipleship process was shared with David in Hope that he would share it with others. He didn’t wait until he returned home to begin sharing. He shared what he had learned with churches and with all he met along the way as he went.