Hope Does Not Put Us to Shame

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” ~Romans 5:5

I seem to quote this verse all the time! I can remember the exact moment when it became real to me. My family was hiking the gorge at Watkins Glen, NY and I had to take a break while they continued to climb. As I sat on the rocks and watched the water flow downward without ever stopping, God put this verse in my mind.

No wonder the Holy Spirit is compared to living water! Continuous and constant, reaching every crevice of our unruly hearts, pouring - POURING, not trickling or dripping, but flooding our being with God’s love! How tender and intimate is that? Stirs up some emotion, doesn’t it?

No matter how many shards of grumble and crank pollute our souls, His love envelops and encases each one, melting away the sharp prickly edges, creating a receptive heart. Our actions and words can have a similar effect! Even a smile or a soft touch. We don’t have to spout off Bible verses to reflect Him…we just have to love. And we can never be ashamed of that.

Our hope in Jesus comes alive when we love with His love. It can fuel and energize us, regardless of the circumstance. It allows us to do the hard things. The impossible things. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” ~Philippians 4:13

Dear God, enable us to work with Your Spirit, not against it. Give us the strength to love the unlovable, to be kind when we’d rather argue, to put others first. Let Your love shine through us. Amen.