Give Thanks for Your Future

One of my favorite verses in all of Scripture is Jeremiah 29:11. I quote it so often that some people might think I’m slightly obsessed with it. It says, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (NKJV).

I like that verse so much that I had those words inscribed on the back of a watch that I gave my son Christopher for his twenty-first birthday. Years later, Christopher went to be with the Lord after a tragic accident.

After he died, I was given a little plastic bag that contained his belongings. In it were his wallet, his keys, and his watch. I took the watch out, held it in my hand, flipped it over, and saw the inscription. “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” And I thought, Where’s the future for Christopher? Where’s the future for me?

I had to remind myself that it’s not all about our life on earth. Our ultimate future is in Heaven. That’s where it all comes together. As Christians, we’re in a win-win situation. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better” (NLT).

Paul knew that whether we’re alive here on this Earth or in Heaven with Christ, God’s love for us is certain. Paul wrote, “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow” (Romans 8:38 NLT). We can be thankful for whatever tomorrow may bring because we know we are loved by our Creator. “Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (verse 39 NLT).

Knowing that we don’t need to worry about our future because we are loved by God gives us the perspective we need to face the trials and adversity of this life. In 2 Corinthians 4:17, Paul wrote, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (NLT). Instead of focusing on the troubles we see right now, we can look forward to what we can’t see yet. The troubles we see now will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

Let’s give thanks today that we don’t have to be filled with fear, worry, and anxiety about what the future holds. We can be of good courage and good cheer because God is with us and our future with Him is certain.

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