Those of us who live in Florida jokingly say, "If you don't like the weather, wait fifteen minutes and it will change." This is often true as it can rain for twenty minutes and be sunny the rest of the day. I am, however, not complaining as we do not have to deal with snow and ice.
While many things, like weather, change frequently, there is one constant in life that we can depend on and that is God.
Malachi 3:6 tells us: "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O Children of Jacob, are not consumed." Throughout Scripture, God reminds us that He does not change when it comes to His character, His Word and His commandments. Hebrews 13:8 declares, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever." This means we can count on the LORD. Furthermore, this is why the Apostle James wrote this about God: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." What good news this is for those of us who walk through this fallen world where one minute culture says we must do this and the next minute it is completely changed. I don't know about you, but walking on shifting sand each day wears me out! Thank goodness for the rock that is higher than we are!
Another word for God's total stability of character is immutability. Unlike people whose mood swings can sometimes knock us off balance, God remains the same. We can depend upon His steadfast love and promises. One place we see this most clearly is in the Bible. Throughout the pages of His Word, God demonstrates His holiness, righteousness, and sovereignty. He is faithful to execute perfect justice but shows His people grace through the giving of His Son as a sacrifice for our sin. Has any other leader ever done that in this world? Can we find such reassurance in the newspaper we read each day? The more time we spend in the Bible, the more we see His character and love for us. Speaking for myself, every time I read the Word, I find something new that I did not realize before. His Word is quick and powerful and living!
Because the Lord cannot change, we can rest assured that what He says He will do. Numbers 23:19 says: "God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?" Unlike friends or others who have let us down with a last minute change of mind, God is dependable. I find this so comforting in the middle of our upside down world at this time.
In my humble opinion, one of the biggest mistakes we can make is getting caught up in the ever changing controversies of this world so much that we forget we have an anchor that will hold us firmly no matter what happens. We allow circumstances, issues, and the ever changing cultural norms to blow us around like a piece of paper caught in the wind. This can surely result in despair for us. Leaders tell us to follow the science, and yet, the science keeps changing when it comes to the Pandemic. However, the answers to our dilemmas and problems will not be found in the world system. Man doesn't have all the answers, but God does. Our citizenship as believers is in heaven and not in this world. We are to be in the world but not of it. God and His Word hold all we need for life and godliness. More importantly, when we begin to trust in the Lord's immutability, we will find peace as we travel through rough seas of life.
We must all remind each other that the answers are not found in the box (this world system). They are found in Jesus Christ....the giver of every good and perfect gift. He is the one constant for our lives that will never change. Selah!
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