Building One Another  

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

I Thessalonians 5:11

The Joy of Expectation

Dear Friend,                

Advent is the season of expectation as we look forward to the joy of Christmas. What are you expecting to happen in the next few days? A change in weather? A conversation with a friend?

Expectation may be based on experience or on a promise.

I expect the weather to change based on my experience of the change of seasons. I expect a conversation with a friend based on a promise to call me this week.

Sometimes a promise leads us to expect something that our experience does not.

A weather forecaster promised a 70 degree day last January. Experienced led me to expect a colder day but indeed it was 70 degrees!

Our Lord made promises that run counter to our experience so that we would trust in Him for our future and not in our own experience.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, will live.’” John 11:25*

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Center your expectation on the promises of God. Our Lord loves you and will bring his promises to pass in your life.

“For all of the promises of God find their Yes in him [Jesus].” 2 Corinthians 1:20

With joy -- E. Stanley Ott

©Copyright 2019E. Stanley Ott
*Scripture from the ESV

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We know our expectations do not always turn out the way we want. That is why the promise in 2 Corinthians 1:20 is so marvelous. In Jesus all of God's promises are YES! So in that security, what are the promises of God that you know about?

What do you expect to happen as the promises of God come to pass?