Counting the Days: December 2, 2025

God Reaches for Us

John Luke Taylor
Junior
Pinehurst, N.C.

Read:  2 Peter 1:4 and John 1:14

“He became what we are that he might make us what he is.”
— Athanasius (c. AD 293 –  AD 373)

In the Professional Golf Management program, we talk a lot about progression—one step at a time. You don’t pick up a club for the first time and hit a perfect drive. You start with grip, posture, balance, and swing. You practice drills you don’t always understand right away. You trust the process. And step by step, you grow into a better version of yourself as a golfer and as a leader in the game.

When I read John 1:14,“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” I see the first step. God didn’t shout directions from somewhere far away. He didn’t hand us a rulebook and stand back to see if we could earn our way up to Him. Instead, He stepped toward us first. Jesus became like us so we could become more like Him.

Some early Christians used the symbol of a ladder to understand salvation. Not a ladder we climb to prove ourselves, but a ladder Christ became for us, a way made possible only because God came down. That connects with 2 Peter 1:4, which says we become “partakers of the divine nature.” Jesus didn’t just save us from something; He invites us into something: a life transformed, shaped, and pointed toward the eternal.

Golf has taught me that growth happens one intentional step at a time. Advent reminds me that Christ already took the first step, the biggest step, so that every step I take after is possible. Like disciples, we don’t climb alone. God reaches for us first because He loves us.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for stepping toward us and becoming flesh. Help us follow Your way, one step at a time, becoming more like You in love, humility, and hope. Amen.