Daily Devotion, November 23, 2022

 

Devotion:

Read Romans 15:12-13.

Romans 15:13 in The Message says, “Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”

Prior to this verse, the Apostle Paul is quoting from Isaiah 11:10. Jesse was the father of David, Israel's greatest king. God’s promised Messiah, Jesus, who descended from the line of David, would be the one spoken of by Isaiah, of the Root of Jesse.

In The Message, Eugene Peterson selected words in verse 13, “May the God of green hope” to correlate with the image from Isaiah’s writings of Jesse’s family tree. “The God of green hope” is a wonderful description of “HOPE!” 

Friends who have studied and understand trees, plants, and flowers have encouraged me during the darkness of the autumn and winter seasons. They have said, “Even though everything looks as if it is ‘dead’, there is a lot going on within the trees, plants and bulbs which will bring new life in the springtime! Even in the darkness, God is at work, giving new life!”

The new Christians in Rome, from both the Jewish and Gentile traditions were discouraged. There was fear of persecution from the Roman Empire. And within the congregations, there were divisions as each group brought their own traditions and cultures into their new understanding in the ways of following in Christ’s footsteps.

It is important to read Romans 15:1-3 to understand Paul’s purpose in his writings in this part of his letter. Paul is helping these new Christians to understand that they are not to live for themselves only, but to be an encouragement to others. The NIV says, “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” And Paul adds that the scriptures were written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.

Sometimes we can be discouraged too, but perhaps we need to look beyond ourselves and see if there is a neighbor who needs encouragement and hope, particularly in this season.

Personal Worship Option:

“Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!” ….so that you have hope to share!