Things to Ponder

The same creative Word that spoke the universe into being is actively shaping our lives. Jesus calls this “sanctification.” True sanctification isn't about mere moral self-improvement; it is God’s lifelong work of remaking us from the inside out as we are changed by His Word. Through the Scriptures, we hear, “You are welcome. You are forgiven. You are new. You make a difference,” and those words change lives. As we engage with Scripture with open hands and expectant hearts, we can trust the Word to sanctify you and make all things new, starting right within your soul.

The Bible can sometimes feel complicated, intimidating, or even confusing—but at its heart is a story that leads us to Jesus. Scripture tells the story of a God who creates, rescues, promises, and ultimately comes to us in Christ, the center of the whole story. We don’t have to master every page; we can simply open our hearts and ask, “Where is this story taking me?” As we listen to Scripture, we listen for Christ—and his story has the power to reshape the stories we tell about ourselves and the lives we live.

For all our talk of "home," we are so often somewhere else—turning over the past, fretting about the future—that we miss the life God has given us right now. But Christ is found in the present tense. Because Christ has died, was raised, and now lives in eternity, it is always “now” with Christ. We can’t be with Christ in the past or the future; we can only know his light in the present. Like a tree bending toward the light, abiding in Christ calls us to sit down in this moment with him—to become present to God, to our lives, and to the people right in front of us.

Following Christ does not always make life bigger, easier, or more impressive—it makes life deeper. In Christ, every action, every word carries spiritual impact. The Killers’ “The Getting By” reminds us that sometimes the holy work is simply getting up, putting another day in, and trusting that God is still holding us. Pay attention to the everyday places, people, and responsibilities around you, because God has filled this life with eternal significance. So live quietly, love your neighbors, do the work before you, and stand on the goodness of God.

God’s love meets us in our darkest places, but true discipleship begins when we answer Christ's call to step out of the shadows and into transformative new life. Walking out of the tomb means having the courage to declare, "I'll know my name as its called again," slowly shedding our old fears, chains, and habits, and living into our identity in Christ. Though leaving the familiar darkness is uncomfortable, it is a lifelong journey of walking toward the light of truth. Take that step of faith today, trusting the Shepherd who calls you out by name and guides you into the person you were made to be.

Our hearts are restless until they rest in God, and yet in the midst of pain, disappointment, and longing, we often wonder where God has been. The good news is that the story of faith is not simply that we go searching for God, but that God finds us—seeing us in our deepest cries, questions, and longings. And perhaps coming home means discovering that the God we thought we were trying to find had been looking for us all along.

[Kahan] is homesick for the life somewhere else that he can see but can't quite access, and he's homesick looking backward, wanting to be back home, a place that makes sense. Neither looking for home out there, nor returning, actually brings him home. This is the human experience. We are constantly searching for “home,” a place to belong, but nothing ever fully satisfies.

But Jesus steps into a homesick world. And unlike every other spiritual teacher who says, “Here’s the path you have to walk home,” Jesus says, “The kingdom of  heaven has come near." You don’t have to go seeking home; you don’t  have to go find home or return home. Home has found you.

How do we get so far from home? Evil rarely begins by tempting us to “sin.” More often, it whispers that the life God has given us isn't enough, stirring desires that leave us restless, divided, and far from home. Colby Acuff’s “If I Were the Devil” walks us down a path from our desires, to conflict, to imposter saviors, to a kind of numbness to the world and to God. But Psalm 73 offers us a prayer that restores our vision, exposing the lies we've believed and reorienting our hearts to what we were made for. In Christ, our deepest longing isn't fulfilled by getting what we want, but hearing the voice of the Shepherd who is calling us home to himself.

Advent calls us to develop virtue as we wait for the coming of a Savior: hope, peace, joy, and love. But like the lights of a Christmas tree, unless they are “plugged in,” they won’t shine. Until they’re connected to the source, they can’t do what they were built to do. So it is with us. We weren’t made to shine on our own.

Isaiah coyly says, “The stump is the seed.” How can this be? Stumps are death. Seeds are new life. Seed is possibility. That is the beauty of God - in the midst of destruction, God has placed within Israel new beginnings. And so it is with us.