The Apostle Paul pronounced this blessing on the Church at Rome: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, until, by the power of the Holy Spirit, you overflow with hope” (Rom. 15:13).
LORD God, give followers of Jesus such a full measure of joy and peace that our hope overflows to those around us who are without hope in the world.
You have put us here to touch others with a message of profound hope — the gospel of Jesus Christ. By the power of your Holy Spirit, give us success in that fulfilling that mission.
Cause our joy and peace to attract the attention of people who don’t yet know Jesus.
When they ask about the reason for the hope we have, may we be prepared to give an answer that points to Jesus the Righteous One — the One who lived and died and lives again.
Spiritual growth resources for 2013 |
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| • | Reading the Bible in 2013 | Justin Taylor, The Gospel Coalition |
| • | Yearly Bible-reading schedule (PDF) |
| • | A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader, edited by Bishop Rueben P. Job (Abingdon, 1998) (preview here) |
| • | Renew My Heart: Classic Insights from John Wesley (Barbour, 2011) (also available for Kindle) |
| • | A quiet-times calendar (a tool for keeping track of your consistency in maintaining a daily devotional time — PDF) |
