The Celebration of Advent
Advent—a time to get
ready and prepare our hearts for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Advent
reminds us to set aside some of the busyness of the holiday season, and to
think about the miracle that every day of this season brings.
Advent is all about
hope—a hope that goes beyond all others. It’s more than just a feeling or
wishful thinking. It’s an awareness that God is actually expecting, looking,
and longing to show you His goodness.
Every day can be filled
with hope—the confident expectation that something good is
going to happen in our life. God wants us to be full of His hope—believing,
expecting, and anticipating great things from Him. In fact, the Bible says He
is the “God of hope,” full of mercy and new beginnings.
God is good, and He has
a good plan for each of our lives. Because He does, you can live your life with
expectation, choosing on purpose to be hopeful every day…all throughout the
day. The psalmist David said in Psalm 71:14 (ESV), But I will hope
continually and will praise you yet more and more.
When we embrace hope on
purpose, it can influence our thoughts, our attitudes, and even our outlook on
life. It releases joy, and the “joy of the Lord” becomes our source of strength
(see Nehemiah 8:10).
Hope is something that
can be developed over time until it just becomes a habit. One of the ways to do
this is to remind yourself to be expectant of good things and remember that God
is always looking for ways to be good to us (see Isaiah 30:18).
Hope is so important to
God that He sent Jesus to be our Hope! Even before Jesus was ever born,
there was great anticipation about His birth. Luke 3:15 (NLT) says, Everyone
was expecting the Messiah to come soon…. And we can live each day with that
same anticipation.
What are you expecting
God to do in your life today?
Be Blessed and be a Blessing!
Advent Day 12
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