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We are entering my favorite season of the year, Fall or autumn. I love the changes that are ushered in
during these weeks. The colors of the trees, the crispness of the air, the freshness of fruits and
vegetables. Not to mention some of the great seasonal cuisine: from homemade apple or pumpkin
pie to bubbling hot chili. I even enjoy pulling out the sweaters and sweat-shirts from the closet. Fall is
truly a season of transition or change.
Change. This one word not only describes our current season, but characterizes the society we live in
better than any other. One only needs to take a quick look around to see this truth for themselves.
From the seasons to the landscape, things change. From the price of gasoline to the cost of a home
computer, things change. From the color of our hair to the style of our jeans, things change. From the
popular definition of truth to the standards of morality, things change. In fact I can only imagine how
much changes that many of you have seen and experienced over your life time.
Change. Whether we like it or not - it is a fact of life. Things constantly change. Some change is good
and brings great benefit to our lives: Like the oil lamp to light bulb, or the horse and buggy to the
automobile, or the grass hut to the brick house. However, not all change is for our benefit.
For some people (especially those of us of Scandinavian or German decent) change is a scary thing.
One that many do not like or seek out, and resist at all levels.
Yet in the midst of our world of perpetual change, there remains one constant: God. In Malachi 3:6 God Himself says - “I the LORD do not change.” What a comfort the prophet Malachi has for us, to
know that our Lord and Savior remains the same even in this changing world.
Hebrews 13:8 assures us of the same thing saying “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
and forever.” Jesus is the same, never changing. The One whom we can always count on, Who is
always consistent, Who’s steady, always there and will be continually no matter what is happening on
earth. Our Lord remains the same.
We live in a world much different than most of us grew up in. One, where on a daily basis, we are fully
engaged in a cultural and spiritual war. Regardless of where our time is spent it has become
impossible to escape the messages and propaganda that challenge and undermine traditional biblical
values.
Sadly this has affected many within the body of Christ, causing some to try to redefine and change
the unchangeable God. Yet this cannot be done. God and His Word remain. Christ himself said “I tell
you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen,
will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” 1 Peter 1:25 restates it
well “but the word of the Lord stands forever."
The unchanging truth of God, His Love, and His sacrifice remains. His nature, expectations,
commands, and grace, despite what we encounter in the culture, these truths stand unshaken. All the
Bible verses and Bible promises we have memorized, heard, and placed our hope in remain true.
The change that comes is not in God’s Word, but rather in our life as we spend more time in His
Word. God changes us into His likeness, not the other way around. We need not be in fear of the
changing world we live in, for the unchanging God lives in us. Let’s be encouraged, strengthened,
and emboldened by the unchanging nature & message of Christ; holding fast to and letting God’s Word mold us into His likeness day by day.
Labels: 1 Peter 1:25, Autumn, Bible, Change, Christ, Culture, Devotions, Encouragement, Fall, God, Hebrews 13:8, Jesus, Love, Malachi 3:6, Matthew 5:18, Nature, Promise, Truth, Unchangeable, Word of God
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