Month: March 2014

Change

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Before the intertestamental period of four hundred years, when God did not speak to His people through a prophet, He assured His people of something we must never forget. Referring to his own qualities of patience, long-suffering, and mercy, God said,

“For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”—Malachi 3:6

Is this a truth that you need to chew on today? Take a moment, and let it roll around in your soul—THE LORD DOES NOT CHANGE…THEREFORE YOU LIVE!

So, don’t worry about your appearance changing, just embrace the truth that He remains the same.

Don’t worry about your circumstances changing, just understand He remains the same.

Don’t sweat your closest friends or family members changing, just believe He remains the same.

In James 1:17 we read, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

Wayne Grudem reminds us that, “since good gifts have always come from God, we can be confident that only good gifts will come from Him in the future, because His character never changes in the slightest degree.” Systematic Theology, (Intervarsity Press, 1994), p.163.

Unchangeable

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Change. Everything around us is constantly changing—the seasons, the weather, circumstances, people, and finances.  When I think about the many changes I’ve made in my life, it’s dizzying! As I consider fluctuations and uncertainties of life, the sharp contrast of the character of the Lord comes to mind.  That the Lord does not change is not a topic I often dwell on, but one that has significant implications for the way I approach my life, finances, and the things I know to be true.  As I enter this phase of my life, making some career decisions that will impact me financially, I have to slow my thoughts and pace to remember who God is and that His promises are true…. always and forever. This leads me to trust in God’s immutability. The word, immutability, is one of those big, fancy words that simply means: unchangeable.

God does not change; He isn’t altered; He isn’t in process; HE IS as He has always been and always will be. It’s an important truth to remember in the ups and downs of life, especially when it comes to financial change. In the midst of circumstances that are difficult and incomprehensible, resting in the character of the Lord doesn’t always feel like I’m standing on solid ground. But I must remember that His will never changes, the direction of His actions remains constant, and yet He is active and moving within the circumstance. So, when I begin to think, “What if?” and “Will I have enough?” the unchanging nature of the Lord offers me a foundation to reframe my thoughts and understanding in His Word.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”—Matthew 6:25-33(NLT)

 I have no reference to immutability in my life. Everything I see, everyone I know, every part of my life experience is changing and in process. What that means is that it’s not a natural jump to rest on something that is changeless. However, when I seek God’s will and trust God’s promises, I can take comfort and confidence in my Lord, which allows me to reject a fearful spirit and develop a thankful attitude in all circumstances.

Family Change

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Family life is one of change. Sometimes we are prepared for it, and sometimes not. Often we think we are ready, only to find reality far different from expectation.

When we find ourselves expecting the first child, we scurry around trying to do all we can to be ready for that change. We buy clothes, furniture, paint, and even books. We so want to be ready for the child to come into the world; only when she comes, we can’t believe how hard it is to console an infant who can’t tell you where it hurts.

It feels like they are children forever, and then one day you wake up and find teenagers who can’t get out of bed on Saturday before 11am. On top of that, they start to look and sound a lot more like adults than children. We might have bought a book on the teenage years before it happened, but most of us never had such forethought.

We are not prepared to fight with a teenager (perhaps, at least, not with the first one). Far too many of us fathers were not anywhere near ready to give away our daughter to some still-wet-behind-the-ears-but-thinks-he’s-a-man boy.  But let’s not pin all of our troubles on the children.

How about that spouse who found 30 plus pounds suddenly spread around his midsection? Wrinkles and age spots—those were supposed to be just for the grandparents. Then we suddenly realize, we are grandparents! It is almost too much.

Family change is an inevitable and irresistible force, ever threatening to destabilize us. It would be foolish to pray that all would remain the same. As Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 teaches us, there is a time for everything, implying that every circumstance will change at some point for a different purpose.

We would do well to help our children understand that change will be a constant and that it is not something to fear or rail against. Surely we’ve seen too many adults who inappropriately avoid change or over react to the challenges change brings. But such teaching is more effectively lived than spoken. We can live this lesson by being constant in our faith and happy in God’s providences. This lesson is also found in the book of Ecclesiastes.

May these two attitudes—consistency in our faith and happiness in God’s providences—be on a fairly consistent display before our family.

 

A Change Gon’ Come

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I love music. Classical, pop, R&B, country, hymns, jazz, gospel, hip-hop, indie folk, you name it. So of course I tuned in to watch the Grammy’s to see all the talented (some more than others) music artists. After watching, I was left with two thoughts. First, how merciful and patient God is in that He continues to grant us life even as we live morally ruined lives and become a God-mocking generation. Secondly, with this cultural shift, what are Christians doing to help change the world for Christ? In my opinion, what takes place in our world as forms of entertainment or any other showcase of art will prove to have the greatest impact on our culture than any form of legislation, because art is an effective persuader. Our world is shifting away from God (surprise, surprise), and as followers of Jesus, we want to spark a lasting change in our culture and see souls saved and lives transformed by the power of the Gospel. But, things seem to either progressively worsen or stay the same—which can be discouraging. As Christians, how do we live for Jesus and reach those in a world that is hostile and constantly changing? Let’s chop it up! (Slang 101—chop up: converse and break it down.)

  1. Stop imitating the world!
    God does not save souls the world’s way. God uses the foolish things to dumbfound the wise and strong. God, in the world’s eyes, is the worst talent scout because the world looks to power, prestige, and material glitz and glam, while God uses the weak, powerless, and feeble to shame them and display His power and glory! Often times the people of God can easily get caught up in being “culturally aware” and reaching the lost in the name of Jesus while compromising the very words of Christ! The church goes as the world goes and adjusts to better appease people rather than remaining faithful to Christ. No change will take place unless we have God’s Word as our foundation. We must stand firm in the faith and let the world be the world and the church be the church. 
  2. Imitate Christ!
    If you have been saved by grace through faith, brought out of darkness into His marvelous light, you now have a high calling, a calling to Christ-likeness. This does not mean perfect obedience or a life of ease, but with the Spirit’s help, it is a daily battle to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow after Jesus. If you want to see change, you must first ask if you have been changed by the power of the Gospel. It’s impossible to imitate someone you know nothing about, so are you growing in the knowledge of Christ, increasing in humility and love for others, striving for holiness, and suffering for the sake of the Gospel? If you want to impact our generation, emulate Jesus. 
  3. Bank on Real Change!
    There will be a day with no more pain, suffering, Sallie Mae (can I get a witness?!), death, broken families, bills, disappointments, midterms, 15-page research papers, and any other effects of the fall you could think of. Jesus will return as the conquering King and reign victoriously forevermore! He will restore all things and we will enjoy God perfectly. As believers, we have a hope that even in the midst of this fallen world, we can await the blessed return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the new heaven and new earth will be our reality. The real change that will come is when all things will be made new and His perfect love will cast out every fear and wipe all the tears from our eyes. So in the words of Sam Cooke, “It has been a long time coming, but I know that a change gon’ come”; so come quickly, Lord Jesus, come quickly!