Surrender

God invites us into the eighth wonder of the world — joining His mission with our time, talents, and resources — but that invitation only works if He truly holds first place in our lives. When we trust Him enough to put Him first, even when it costs us something we think we can't afford to give, He provides and blesses far beyond what we imagined.

Jesus, like a good youth pastor, puts His followers in uncomfortable situations that stretch them to do more than they think possible. His hardest teaching is to love our enemies, not with feeling but with disciplined action, because maturity means letting go of self, and because God is still on a rescue mission for the broken souls of the very people who hate us.

Many of us live with an "I've got this" mentality until life shows us we don't. Pastor Brent walks through Proverbs 16:1-9 to show that real security comes not from our own plans but from committing every part of life—our motives, our pride, our future—to the Lord and letting Him determine our steps.

God's truth, not our own feelings or experiences, is the only safe foundation for life. When we exchange what is actually true for what we've decided is true, we deceive ourselves, create our own pain, and diminish the life God intended — but when we trade our truth for His, like Moses did, we find freedom and purpose instead.

True rest is not something we stumble into by escaping or checking out — it's something God actually designed for our good. As we step into a new year, Pastor Joel invites Cornerstone to trade the counterfeit of hustle culture for real rest: rest that reflects on God's goodness, trusts Him with control, and is only fully found in the presence of Jesus.