Bringing Back the Old Ways

The Miami Hurricanes are set to make their first appearance in a national championship game in 23 seasons following Thursday evening's dramatic 31-27 victory over Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Hurricanes' contest against the Rebels will undoubtedly go down as an instant classic, as the two squads exchanged leads on four separate occasions during the fourth quarter. Miami quarterback Carson Beck provided the final of those scoring exchanges, scrambling for a game-winning three-yard touchdown run with just 18 seconds remaining.

While many fans were initially skeptical of Miami's inclusion in the College Football Playoffs, there is no denying that Miami has proven it belongs on the big stage. 

If you have taken the time to watch Miami's playoff contests, you have seen that this team bears a strong resemblance to many of Miami's championship teams of the past. The Hurricanes are big and physical in the trenches, have fast-twitch athletes and dynamic playmakers at the skill positions, and play with supreme confidence in their ability to defeat the opposition.

Of course, the makeup of this Miami team is not accidental. After floundering to find national success for the better part of two decades, the Hurricanes hired Mario Cristobal, a former Miami offensive lineman who won a pair of national titles during his time in Coral Gables, to steer the program towards its former ways.

As former Miami running back Edgerrin James commented after the victory: "It has been a long time coming. Once Coach Cristobal got here, we brought back the old Miami ways."

In her column detailing the Hurricanes' victory, ESPN reporter Andrea Adelson wrote, "It took a coach with Miami DNA to finally bring the Hurricanes to the precipice of a sixth national title."

Much of Miami's success this season can be attributed to the program's intentional decision to follow a blueprint that has worked in the past. Instead of trying to be cute and fancy, they returned to what had worked before.

In our world today, we are constantly bombarded with messages promoting "the new thing. We seem to be almost obsessed with finding the latest formula or secret method that will enable us to succeed in the areas of our desire.

As followers of Jesus, however, we must always recognize that when it comes to our spiritual growth and development, there is no replacement for what is tried and true. The things that have contributed to the spiritual formation of the saints of old over the centuries are the same things that will serve to conform us to the image of Christ today.

The Book of Acts gives us a beautiful glimpse into the life of the early church. Indeed, the book offers critical insight into how the early church experienced tremendous growth in both evangelism and discipleship.

Acts 2:42 (ESV) says of the early believers, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."

The explosion in the early church did not come about because the believers gained access to the latest self-help books or listened to seminars on the newest trends. Instead, followers of Jesus devoted themselves to basic spiritual disciplines such as reading Scripture, praying, listening to sound Christian teaching, taking Communion, and fellowshipping with other believers.

The exact blueprint for growth is set out for us today. Instead of spending time searching for the latest fads and trends, we should return to the DNA that has produced great men and women of God in the past. Our greatest need is not innovation, but intentionality and discipline.

Hebrews 13:7 (NLT) tells us, "Remember your leaders who taught you the Word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith."

It is proper for us to reflect on how believers in the past have experienced success in the maturation process. It is even more appropriate for us to strive to emulate their ways.

As we are still in the early days of 2026, let's seek to be people who return to the tried-and-true methods that have worked for followers of Jesus in the past. May we be people who take intentional time to focus on the basic spiritual disciplines that will enable us to experience "success" as we mature in Christ.

I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please give me the strength to be focused and disciplined in devoting myself to activities that will help me to grow in my faith and become more like Christ. Please grant me wisdom to know how best to utilize my time, energy, and resources at this stage of life to glorify You as I mature in the Lord. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.