Devotion for Thursday in the First Week in Advent

They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall be like a watered garden,
and they shall languish no more.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy;
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,
and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
declares the Lord.” ~ Jeremiah 31:12-14

The Lord himself tells us of the joy that we will experience in the new earth, after Jesus comes again. We will sing, dance, and rejoice. Instead of sadness, we will have joy. We will have abundance and goodness. So often we think that what we are experiencing today is what we will always experience. During the holiday season, many people are sad and depressed because of their circumstances or attitudes. Instead we should recognize that our time in this earthly life is but a tiny speck in our eternal existence. During this Advent season, let us focus on the happy, abundant, good eternity in which we will sing and dance with joy.

Heavenly Father, too often I fail to have an eternal perspective. I focus on the circumstances in this life and forget that it is miniscule compared to the life that will come later. Those of us who believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior will never die. We will live forever with You, and we will be filled with joy. Thank You for that promise, Lord. Help me to focus on it and not any momentary sadness I may feel in this life. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Image: ©Depositphotos.com/piccola

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