“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” -Romans 15:13
Before turning his attention to speaking of his own ministry, Paul offers a final prayer on their behalf to the end that they will achieve the joy and peace in believing of which he just spoke.
By living with each other’s best interest in mind, and doing so by the power of the Holy Spirit, all believers—Jews and Gentiles—may abound in the hope that comes through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures.
The world is a troubling place because of sin. But God has given us hope in Christ. When we live out the new lives given to us by Christ through faith in the gospel, and seek the welfare of our neighbors before ourselves, we emulate Christ who laid down his life for us.
The product of this way of living is joy and peace and hope. When we emulate the world who seeks its own pleasures before the welfare of others, we harvest the same fruit as they do—sorrow, discord, and despair.
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