A Teens Bible

Romans 15:13

 NIV: 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.

NCV: I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Meaning: In this verse, there are a 3 words that I love: hope, joy and peace. Each of these things are different, yet they all come from the same God. Hope is an amazing anchor that we have in Christ, that is we are going through a difficult season, we have that hope that better things are ahead. Because of Jesus death on the cross, we have that hope that, if we have a relationship with Jesus, one day we will be face with Him for eternity! This hope that we have can fill us with joy. I love this definition I found written by Rick Warren, he says that "Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation." So you can see that it is very different then happiness, but rather this unwavering assurance that God is good and has things under control! This is the joy we have because of the hope we have... and peace! When I think of peace, I think of a river, calm, complete, sound and just... at peace:)

Take Action: Have you anchored your hope in Christ? Have you taken that step? If not, consider doing so!! If you have, embrace and enjoy the joy and the peace that comes with it! Here are some lyrics from Rend Collective's song "Joy" (one of my favourites:) that fit perfectly with this verse

You're the joy joy joy lighting my soul

The joy joy joy making me whole

Though I'm broken, I am running

Into Your arms of love

Let God's joy light your sold this week and let his peace comfort you! Make it a great one:)

~Katie