Advent Hope
November 29, 2016
Our December theme for the Today devotions, written by Rev. Rebecca Jordan Heys, is “Advent Hope.”
One dictionary definition of hope is “confident desire—a feeling that something desirable is likely to happen.” Hope is more than just a wish; there’s a confident and certain expectation behind the concept of hope.
You may be saying, “I hope my favorite team wins the Super Bowl this year!” If your team is low in the standings, you probably won’t say it with confidence. But if your team is contending for first place, the expectation is higher!
Advent hope is filled with confidence because it looks back at what God has already faithfully done to know what God faithfully will do. The Old Testament scriptures resonate with the confident hope of the prophets that a Messiah would come. Those Old Testament hopes were fully fulfilled in the coming of Christ Jesus, which we celebrate at Christmas.
We also look forward with hope and expectation to the return of Jesus Christ—a time when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). That’s certainly something to look forward to!
If you want to hear more of Rev. Heys’ thoughts as she wrote these devotions, please enjoy this audio interview link below.
May you be refreshed, refocused and renewed in God’s Word!
About the author — Steven Koster
Rev. Dr. Steven Koster joined Back to God Ministries International in 2006 and soon launched ReFrame Media with a fresh vision for media and technology to build disciples and communities in Christ. During his time as Director of ReFrame, he also served as the Executive Editor of Today. Steven stepped down from these roles in 2019 as he felt led to focus on new challenges, including doctoral research and their family’s bed and breakfast in Grand Rapids. He and his wife Deb have three adult children and enjoy leading pre-marital counseling and marriage enrichment seminars. Steven continues to collaborate with Deb to produce our marriage and family ministry, Family Fire.
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