Filled to Overflowing

"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." Romans 15:13

I've been thinking a lot about this verse lately. God calls us to single-minded focus on Him. When we choose to do that, He fills us with hope, joy and peace. Sounds like a pretty good exchange if you ask me. So many of us long to have these three qualities - hope, joy, and peace in the midst of our everyday lives. When we choose Jesus, He takes care of the rest.

I think it all boils down to TRUST. Do we fully trust God with our lives? If you've asked Jesus into your heart, and asked for His forgiveness, you know that God promised you would one day go to heaven. You believe God at His word. So why do we struggle with the smaller, simpler things? Like trusting that He will help us in all the situations we face. I think it's time to get our focus off ourselves and our struggles, and instead place them on our Heavenly Father, and the truths in His Word.

When we choose to direct our attention to God, He fills us to overflowing, and what spills out of our lives is love, joy, peace, hope, and thanksgiving. It all is a matter of our wills - who will we decide to follow. Will we get caught up in the stresses of life, or choose to look to the One who can calm all our fears.