Advent: December 12

Here it is: The good news is that for those who trust in the Savior, an everlasting joy is promised. A day is coming when there will be more than enough of everything and all my desires for sin will have been transformed into love for Him. I’ll see the burning sands of this sin-riddled world transformed into cleansing, life-giving pools; I’ll watch the “thirsty ground” change into springs of water. All the places where dangerous adversaries used to find shelter will be transformed into the river of God’s delights (Psalm 36:8). This is God’s doing!

How will this happen? How will we get to this oasis? Our Savior, Jesus the God-Man, has paved the way on this Highway of Holiness. He cut the road out of the rocky ground; He covered it with the stones of His good works, cementing them together with His blood. He’s made it all the way past Calvary, that haunt of jackals, and paved the road right into the throne room of God for us.

I love how the ESV translates verse 8b, “It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.”

Okay, that means I qualify. It means that even in my foolishness, weakness and sin, I and all who believe will finally and, at last, find the gladness and joy that had always been out of reach.

Have you ever wanted a special something so badly that it is all you ever think about? I am sure that right now you have a few things in mind that you really, really want for Christmas. Have you ever gotten a present that you had been asking and asking for? Remember how good it felt to open that present, tear apart the wrapping paper and see the very thing you wanted inside the box? Remember how happy that gift made you? Funny thing is that happiness goes away. Maybe it takes a week, or a day, or maybe even just an hour, but all of a sudden you want something else to make you happy. Do you know why you feel that way? Because God made you so that nothing would really make you happy but Him. Our hearts are only meant to be completely joyful because of Him. He is the only thing big enough to make us forever happy.