To think about or consider carefully or to think on, over, about. Those are the definitions of ponder, which can be either a transitive or intransitive verb. The former needs an object to complete the meaning whereas the latter does not need a direct object. He pondered the question carefully before answering is an example of the transitive use. She paused to ponder on the situation uses ponder intransitively.

We “think fast” all the time. It is the opposite of pondering. Our thinking changes when we ponder. While thinking fast is often required throughout the day, it is the act of pondering that regularly helps us learn, grow, and gain clarity. Thinking fast is response mode, it is survival. Pondering is revelation, leading to better understanding.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, pondered. We are told so in scripture. Here’s the deal. Mary was engaged to Joseph. One day, maybe while she was going about her daily routine, an angel named Gabriel appeared to her. If that wasn’t scary enough, what the angel said probably freaked Mary out. This heavenly being told her (in Luke 1:30) not be afraid and that she was favorable in God’s eyes. Then this, the real kicker (unexpected, surprising) – “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (1:31-33).

Perplexed, Mary asked the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (v.35). Click here to read Gabriel’s response to her question. I am sure none of this made any sense to Mary, but despite her uncertainty, v.38 tells us – “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”

Now, fast forward to nine months later. Jesus lay in a manger, proud papa and mama with him. The region is abuzz with news about the birth of a Savior. Shepherds had encountered angels. God has illuminated the sky. These shepherds high tailed it to Bethlehem to see this little baby that God made known to them. Everyone who heard this news was amazed. Different Bible translations use a variety of words – amazed, astonished, marveled, wondered. But Scripture tells us that Mary’s response was different. Here is what we read – “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart” (2:19).

So, just what made Mary ponder? Why did she respond differently? There is no doubt that this good news created quite a stir. I am sure questions abounded everywhere. However, it was not surprising to Mary. Since her angelic visitation, she had very likely spent countless hours contemplating all that she was told. What the shepherds told her only confirmed what she already knew. Even so, that she pondered implies, at least to me, that Mary knew yet did not fully understand. She continued to think it over, allowing it to help her learn, grow, gain clarity, and fully trust what was told to her.

We can never fully understand God (Isaiah 55:8-9). That is just not possible. But we can ponder the things of God. We can meditate upon his commandments, his instructions, his promises. Psalm 119:15 tells us this – “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”

I believe that when we ponder in our hearts the things of God, we draw closer to Him. Pondering requires more than just thinking. It requires breadth and depth; not being content to settle on our first thought(s), instead, digging deeper and deeper. Pondering is a choice we make.

We are told in scripture that those who desire to draw near to God will in fact do so (i.e., James 4:8). Are you carving out time to consider carefully all the things of God? The time we spend pondering on God is never wasted time.

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Since my stroke almost two years ago, my wife has been a caregiver for me. If you have never been a caregiver or do not personally know someone who provides care for someone else, just let me say, it is a never-ending and exhausting job. We so often ask the “patient” how they are going, but rarely check in on the person helping make that person’s life easier. I also know that most caregivers, if not all, have the person they are caring for on their mind all the time.

While I can navigate life mostly on my own, I do need help from time to time. My wife provides me with so much caregiving, always so naturally, so gracefully, so selflessly, and with so much love. If you know a caregiver, give them some love too. I work hard to not allow her constant “help” to become a crutch, whereby I cannot do anything without her assistance. That would be harmful for both of us.

We all need helpers to navigate life. Life is not meant to be done alone. I need you. You need me. I help you. You help me. I begin to fall. You prop me up. You begin to lean, I tilt you back up. That is just how God wired us. God is a very relational being and he desires us to be relational as well. To be all that we were made to be, we need the help. Help from others but even more so, help from God. Just as we get help from others by being in relationship with them, we also get God’s help my staying attached to him.

As Jesus’s earthly life was rapidly coming to a close, he gave the best locker room speech of all time to his guys. John Chapters 14-17 is known as the Farewell Discourse. In that pep talk, in 15:1-11, Jesus makes the point that once we become Christ-followers, we become His branches. Notice what this passage tells us – God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine, and his followers are the vine. The quality of the vine, and ultimately the branches, depends largely upon the skill and care of the gardener. Fruit is produced as His life flows through us; a Spirit-filled life (Ephesians 5:18) that produces this fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

The word Jesus uses to describe this relationship is abide (“meno” in the Greek), defined as “to stay.” We are called to remain united to Jesus, one with Him in heart, mind, and will. We are designed to be branches, and we are only fruitful for the long haul by “abiding” in Him. Jesus tells that very clearly in v.5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Another time, earlier in his ministry, Jesus was talking to His disciples about how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:16-30). I am sure the disciples were dumbfounded, asking – “Who can be saved?” (v.25). Jesus probably astounded them even more by responding – “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (v.26). This response emphasizes the truth that salvation is not something we can achieve on our own. It is only through God’s grace that we can have everlasting life. I believe that this verse is more than just about salvation. It applies to all of life. It tells us to not be limited to what we think is possible on our own, but instead to fully trust in God’s power and His plan. We do this by abiding in Him.

So, today, and every day, will you abide in Jesus, knowing that in and through the abiding, He strengthens you – “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). He is life’s best helper.

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Are you a rebel, always rising in opposition to what is good, what is right, what are societal norms? Do you consider yourself rebellious? Could you have starred alongside James Dean, Sal Mineo, and Natalie Wood in the 1955 melodrama film, “Rebel Without a Cause”? Throughout life we all at times oppose or resist family, friends, authority, tradition, the establishment, and God, yes, even God.  

In the 15th chapter of Luke, Jesus tells a parable of a rebellious son and his loving father’s response. This well-known story (vv. 11-32) is often called the Prodigal Son. The word prodigal can be defined as spending or using resources freely and recklessly. Think of the clothing and jewelry worn by celebs as they walk the red carpet.

The story begins by telling us that a man had two sons and the younger son asked his father for his portion of the father’s estate. By tradition the younger son would get one third upon the father’s death. For some reason the father acquiesced and gave this boy his portion. The story continues with this son going to a distant country and squandering his newfound wealth on wild living – maybe on sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. We are told he hit rock bottom and soon found himself feeding the pigs; something he never dreamed he could, or would, ever do. Not only was this an unfavorable occupation but according to Jewish law, pigs were “unclean” animals (see Leviticus 11:7).  He spirals down to the point that he is also desiring to eat the pods of the carob tree; the very food that the pigs eat.

Have you ever found yourself in the pig pen?

At some point this young man came to his senses and decided to return home, humbled and broken, damaged and disgraced. When his father saw him in the distance, we read this – “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. (v.20)” In the ancient period in which this story takes place, no well-respected man would be seen running in public. The story ends with the son admitting his rebellion and the father throwing a big party for his son.

Every one of us should be able to see ourselves somewhere in this story. If you don’t see yourself in the story, look again. We are told in Scripture that all have sinned and fallen short of what God desires of us (Romans 3:21-24). At some point, to one degree or another, we all rebel against God. We step outside of God’s good and perfect will and do things our way.

While prodigal certainly does mean wasteful, it also means extravagant, lavish, unrestrained use of resources. This parable is about our rebellion against God, but in my opinion, more so, it is about extravagance of our Father when we step back into His will. I believe in this story we see that God is prodigal – extravagant, lavish, unrestrained – in His love, in His patience, in His forgiveness, in His generosity, and in His grace and mercy.

So, today I ask – are you willing to repent and reverse your direction (Acts 3:19), either for the first time or even the umpteenth time, and return “home,” turning away from your rebellion and turning toward God? When you do so, God promises to be extravagant in all he offers you!

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It is the time of year when many families are searching for that perfect pumpkin. When our daughters were younger, we used to walk the pumpkin patch looking for two pumpkins that met their specifications. After picking out their pumpkins we would then take an evening to carve those pumpkins, first scooping out the seeds and then carefully cutting out the facial features, until the orange-colored fruit (yes, pumpkins are considered a fruit and not a vegetable because they are the part of the plant that contains the seeds) became a masterpiece.

Did you know that pumpkin carving has its origins in the Celtic practice of carving out faces in turnips or other vegetables during Samuin, a festival marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter, in order to place candles in them to ward off evil spirits?

Our carved-out pumpkins brought joy to our daughters as they looked over their works of art. In addition to the beauty of the pumpkin, the light from the lit candle inside the pumpkin shined brightly in the dark night.

As followers of Jesus we must also carve out time in our lives to be with Him. When we spend time with Jesus, and allow Him to transform us into His image, we too become more beautiful and we more easily allow the light of Jesus shine through us.

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 we read these words – And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

And Jesus tells us this in Matthew 5:14-16 – “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Are you carving out time today to spend with Jesus? Are you being transformed into His image? Are you becoming a light for the world?

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Have you ever wondered why some birds soar effortlessly through the air while others seem to work hard just to stay aloft? There are several birds that can soar. Here are a few: eagles, seagulls, pelicans, falcons, vultures, ospreys, hawks, and even the small woodswallow. What makes these soaring birds fly so effortlessly?

Let’s look at the eagle; a bird of prey that often represents beauty and grace, power and courage. Eagles are lighter than they appear, having hollow bones. In addition, the wings of eagles are larger in comparison to their body weight than that of most other birds, allowing them to use a “soaring” type of flight in addition to the “flapping” type other birds use. Eagles soar by spreading their long rectangular wings, allowing the rising warm air current (called thermals) to keep them from tumbling to the ground, similar to how airplanes fly. Not only does soaring allow eagles to reach great heights, soaring also uses less energy than does flapping, thus eagles can fly long periods of time without rest.

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Those words come from Isaiah 40:28-31 and they are some of my favorite words in all the Bible. Boiled down, the verses so beautifully convey the hopeful and encouraging message that if we depend upon Jesus completely, even in our weakest moments, an amazing thing happens … we get renewed strength.

Let’s be honest, life does at times wear us down (we grow tired and weary) and at times we stumble and fall. But if we depend upon Jesus by putting our trust and hope completely in Him, then we will not only get renewed strength to tackle whatever life throws at us, we will also soar to new heights. And just like the eagle, we can fly higher and longer without growing weary.

As today’s passage tells us, by putting our hope in Jesus in all situations, we can learn to “soar” rather than strenuously “flap” our wings, using up so much energy. The apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12 (vv.9-10) that God’s power is made perfect in weakness and by tapping into Jesus, even when we are weak, we are strong, we are enabled to bear it all.

Jesus says this – “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, CEV).

As I often do, allow me to provide some context. The Jews were weighed down (yoked) by the rules put in place by the religious leaders of the day. The Mosaic Law, 613 commandments found in the Old Testament, was made even more difficult to keep by the many man-made laws added by those leaders. Jesus saw this as an unbearable burden. In this passage. Jesus is not promising we will carry no weight, but instead, he promises the weight will be appropriate (easy to bear). And the weight we carry, it is not carried alone, if we are yoked to Jesus.       

So, maybe today, you find yourself worn out and weary, and you simply cannot flap your wings one more time. Maybe you feel weak and vulnerable. Or maybe you are facing some situation that just seems too big to handle on your own. If that is you, then I encourage you right now to ask Jesus for an exchange. You give Him your weariness, your weakness, your tiredness, or your fearfulness and in return He promises to give you renewed hope, renewed strength, and a renewed breath of warm air that will lift your wings! I do not fully understand the exchange, but from experience I know it to be true.

You can soar and not needlessly flap. You can soar like an eagle!

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As a society we are enthralled with beauty. We love to gaze upon beauty. We look for it everywhere. A beautiful sunset. The sight, sounds, smells of the beach. A newly bloomed bed of flowers in early summer. A Picasso or Monet masterpiece. Pure white snow glistening in the sunlight. A bride walking down the aisle.

And isn’t it true that as we age, we strive to maintain our natural youthful beauty. I am not sure that is possible, but we wish it to be true. If it were in fact true, why are there so many products marketed to us that promise “restoration?” We can (and do) have beauty as we age. That beauty, it just looks different than when we were in our twenties. I need to look no further than my wife.

Whether it be beauty around us or our bodily beauty, we spend lots of time and resources locating beauty, getting beauty, keeping beauty, restoring beauty. But guess what, regardless of our efforts, that beauty, it fades over time. Weather. Age. Damage. Those all affect beauty. Sadly, as the beauty fades, over time, our gaze slowly becomes an occasional glance.

Not only do we gaze upon earthly beauty, scripture tells us to also gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. His beauty never fades. Here is what we read in Psalm 27:4 – “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire (meditate) in his temple.”

That verse gives us three desires we are to have: to dwell, to gaze, to inquire. While the verse lists them separately, I consider them to be one, all-consuming desire. Today, I want to try to answer two questions: What is the beauty of the Lord? And how do we gaze upon it?

Before I answer those questions, I want to provide some context. Psalm 27 was written by David, the shepherd king of Israel. This psalm is David’s decree of courageous trust in the Lord, and in it, he prays two prayers for God’s presence (vv.4-6 and then again in 7-12). These two prayers are bookended by David’s confidence in God’s presence (vv.1-3, 13-14). In Old Testament times, the presence of the Lord was found in the tabernacle. David’s dream of building the tabernacle was never fulfilled because of his propensity toward the shedding of blood in times of war (1 Chronicles 28:3). God chose, instead, to use David’s son, Solomon, a man of peace, to build His temple (1 Chronicles 28:6).

Having given some context, now back to the two questions. First, just what is the beauty of the Lord? I will answer, very simply, it is the entirety of the loveliness of His nature. It is everything about God that is beautiful. Or how about this – everything that is good, everything that is righteous, has its fulfillment in God. David knew that there was beauty in the very nature and presence of God, everywhere and always.

Now that I have attempted to define the beauty of the Lord, let me turn to gazing upon that beauty. So, how do we gaze upon something that we cannot see with the naked eye? Allow me to try to answer that question with another question. Can there be any greater desire than to fill our hearts and minds with the goodness and greatness of God? In my own life, it is in the gazing upon that goodness and greatness, which by its very nature draws me closer to God, that I fall more in love with Him and am given the power and strength and courage to do far more abundantly than I can do on my own (Ephesians 3:20).     

Every one of us gazes upon something. We were created that way. Gazing at a beautiful sunset, which I get to do most evenings, is calming. The yellow and orange hues also help to regulate my circadian rhythm, stimulating melatonin production. Gazing upon the beauty of God is so much more. With every new gaze, my life is continually transformed more and more into the image of God. Into the image I am mean to be.

So, let me ask you – Are you regularly gazing upon God’s beauty?

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