Advent Word of the Day: Devotion

Look closely; that baby bear is smiling!

"'I will bring him near and he will come close to Me, 

for who is he who will 

devote himself 

to be close to Me?’ 

declares the LORD." 

Jeremiah 30:21 (emphasis added)

According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the word "devote" means to "give or apply (one's time, attention, or self) entirely to a particular activity, pursuit, cause, or person." Advent, the four weeks leading up to the celebration of Christ's birth, is a wonderful time to ask ourselves, What are we devoted to? What occupies our time, our mental and physical energy, and our resources? What is it that we worship?

What is first in our lives? 

This Advent, we can decide to change the course of our lives by the choices we make. And a wonderful place to start this process is prayer. A simple, heartfelt prayer on my knees changed the course of my life twelve years ago. During a time of desperate need, I asked God to reveal Himself, and He did, and I've drawn close to Him ever since.

When God is the center of our lives, everything else begins to be lined up, returning to its proper place - submitted unto the Lord and His ways. Matthew 6:33 explains it like this, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." God knows our needs, and our deepest need is to know, serve, and follow Him. When we do that, life begins.

This Advent, may we devote ourselves to being close to the One who created us, loves us, and longs for us to know Him more.

His!

Dr Mari

For more Advent exhortations, read The Light of the World and The Joy of the Lord.


* Photo from thundafunda.info.