1 Peter 1:24-25 “…the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever…”, Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. God hasn’t changed, my friend. Some people charge that God was a harsh disciplinarian God in the Old Testament. Happy sounds, the voice of joy, the voice of the newly-married man and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who say, Give praise to the Lord of armies, for the Lord is good, for his mercy is unchanging for ever: the voices of those who go with praise into the house of the Lord. We will all face storms in this life, but when we build our life on Christ and on His ways, we will be on a solid foundation in the storm. James 1:17,18 - Unchanging Goodness. We’d love to know things that we can’t know. You know, the church is an ancient institution. In fact, this unchanging, unchangeable attribute of God is precisely the thing that prevents us from being consumed, as it were, by the ever-changing tides of our lives. God deeply loves His creation, and that is without exception. (Ecclesiastes 3:16-22.) By using only the scriptures as a guide, we can know exactly what they preached, how they lived, how they worshipped, and I can, in every point, follow that example. Change is to be desired. Nonetheless, the scriptures clearly confirm that God IS. People today claim that we’ve outgrown the Bible, and that in all of our learning and sophistication, we have left the Bible behind, as an antiquated book that just needs to be relegated to the dust heaps of history. It's a beginning filled with great hope. They may’ve ridden in chariots instead of cars, but behaviorally and philosophically, there are a lot of similarities. As the classic hymn says, “Build your hopes on things eternal, hold to God’s unchanging hand.” Reflections is a weekly devotional column written by Michael J. Jesus taught us in Matthew 7 about building our house on the rock. What if everything was left up to every individual just to determine for him or herself? God will not leave us or forsake us. We are told in Psalm 90:2 that God has always been. It has been said that the only constant thing in life is change. This is a wonderful message, except our culture tells us another set of messages: Objective truth is unknowable. DNA sequences are fixed and unchanging, so most of an organism’s adaptability comes from supple epigenetic mechanisms, processes that regulate gene expression in response to environmental cues or pressures, which sometimes involve RNA. This truth has been so important to me recently, and I think it’s amazing that we can all rely on something to be unchanging in a world full of change. It’s detrimental. The very death of His own Son took place, in part, to show mankind the awful penalty that sin exacts. I mean, if I can believe in a God that transcends time and space and in any capacity created the universe, then what’s the problem in believing the Bible account? As a result, we have more churches and denominations than you can count, and one is as different as the next, as daylight and dark. Max Anders says, “God is an infinite, eternal spirit, the self-existent … What would you add to this list? I am glad that my spiritual and moral views don’t have to be constantly reshaped because of the fact that the world changes from one day and one year to the next. We hear the drumbeat of change all around us. I think my life will work out the way it was always meant to be. Hebrews 12:28 “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved…”. Think about the rapid change we’ve seen, just in the past few years. BBE. As I contemplate things above, and others unfolding here among us; as I return to familiar words and pray familiar and not-so-familiar prayers; I find rest. October 7, 2019 October 8, 2019. But the scriptures tell us that there’s more to the nature of God. Essentially, what a lot of people today believe is that the God of ancient times is different from the God of today. In fact, in the eyes of many people today, there really is no such thing as sin. Dishes in the sink, hair and teeth that need brushing, clothes that need washing, jobs that need to be done, and bills to be paid. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13). In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. (See Matthew 22:37-40, Matthew 28:19-20), Even in the times of greatest want; when we are uncertain of where our next meal will come, or how we will have enough money to put gas in the car, God will provide. It's a beginning filled with great hope. That’s easier than believing in an omnipotent God who created the world by His spoken word and by His power. Further, He has promised to reward the work we do in the name of Jesus. It is not unchanging, but it is timeless, and it changes in its own time. God has promised an eternity with Him for those who believe. It’s what the latest Gallup Poll says, or what society as a whole has decided about a particular matter. (BBE) As a result, He cannot countenance sin, and by His very own nature, He must disassociate Himself from it and punish sin. Hesiod (8th century B.C.) Prayer: Gracious God, we confess that we would like to have more certainty in our lives. Watch the news tonight and see if we are not spiraling into an abyss of chaos and confusion. He n… God is Unchanging - Radical Life Support (podcast) | Listen Notes Our nation and our world is intoxicated with the excitement and the appeal of change. But, God IS. He is the very definition of love, the very manifestation of love. I feel like October 7, 2015 is my new birthday. What I will do today, when I gather with fellow disciples, is in strict keeping with the pattern established by Christ and His apostles 2,000 years ago. God continues to work this way in believers’ lives today. One thing that has not changed is man’s propensity to change. We also change as the situation calls for adjustment so that we can move on in life. Man today has conveniently ignored the holiness and the righteousness of God, and has turned Him into a pushover who just goes with the flow. It's a second chance to live my life… was a Greek contemporary of Homer, and likewise an epic poet. And I’ve found that out of anything I’ve ever read or heard, the Bible is the only sure and unchanging source of truth in this life. Brooke Cooney is a pastor's wife, mother of two, and foster-mom of one. DNA sequences are fixed and unchanging, so most of an organism’s adaptability comes from supple epigenetic mechanisms, processes that regulate gene expression in response to environmental cues or pressures, which sometimes involve RNA. In other words, it may have been written down by inspiration of the Holy Spirit thousands of years ago, but it’s as timely as this morning’s newspaper. Why is it that we refuse to accept an absolute and unchanging standard when it comes to right and wrong, or ethical, moral or religious issues? (See Matthew 26:11). But then, not all change is good. Cultural shifts occasionally offer the illusion that we’ve cooking up something new, but once you take a bite, it’s readily … I don’t know what the day will bring but the wisdom of things unchanging gives me peace. In the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the gospels, Jesus says, blessed are the poor in spirit and blessed are you when they persecute you on my (Jesus’) account. One of the wonderful things about the Bible is the fact that it is old and new at the same time. The Word of God is unchanging! The problem today is this: too many people are ignoring that pattern. It was a fitting slogan for the psychedelic age, the message being that only two things are constant: God (who never changes) and change (which is always with us). Thirdly, the Lord’s church is an unchanging institution. Directed by D.W. Griffith. Further, these constants point to a Creator. Exhortation for us. He gathered with His small band of disciples on Olive’s brow, and with the clouds as His chariot and the winds as His steeds, He went riding off to glory. Look around! 2,000 years ago, our Lord left this world. We have tried to change the character of God. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”. Hold to God’s unchanging hand…. From adultery to pornography to homosexuality to abortion, and on and on and on the list could go…by throwing the Bible aside and doing what is right in our own eyes, to use an expression from the book of Judges (Judges 21:25). Jesus taught us that the unchanging Word of God is the seed of that kingdom. You see, there is an unchanging, not-so-Hidden-Figure that has come to bring us lasting hope in the midst of all the changes we see taking place in our broken world. Our days are undoubtedly numbered, and by His merciful hand, I’m still here. Sometimes it improves our lives. That’s what happens when there is no such thing truth, when there is no standard. What constants do you lean on? The Bible does tell us that God is love. He is compassionate and loves the wh On Books and the Unchanging Nature of Things. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). But perhaps the greatest gift God gives us when our circumstances won’t stop changing is that he reminds us that we are hidden in the unchangeable Christ, who is the true constant, outlasting even change ( Hebrews 13:8 ). that is your SOUL! Pray for each other, that you might know God’s unchanging love more deeply. 2 Peter 3: 3-4,8,10 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. We live in an ever-changing world. That’s so very true. And it should remind us that relationships grow when they are given priority, and when they are rooted in moral character, and what endures. But that wonderful fact doesn’t change the fact that God detests sin and that He has no fellowship with it. That the God pictured in the scriptures is out of date, irrelevant and perhaps even unrealistic. Life is seldom fair, friendships can be superficial and fleeting, health can diminish, etc…but, my friends, God is always there, and He’s unchanging and relentlessly in pursuit of us. A steady rhythm that continues after a whirlwind of events leaves the day-to-day landscape unrecognizable from last week’s norm. Surely, you can see how much confusion and chaos would result from that! Literally, we have justified EVERYTHING today. He wants you to have joy and to become more like Him. Hebrews 6:17-18 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. So that we, who have gone in flight from danger to the hope which has been put before us, may have a strong comfort in two unchanging things, in which it is not possible for God to be false; (BBE) Hebrews 7:24 But this priest, because his life goes on … (BBE) Psalms 111:3His work is full of honour and glory; and his righteousness is unchangingfor ever. We’ve determined seven constants that we can count on during days of change. Constants make up the backbone of life…of our faith. Sometimes we reduce God to our own likeness if we’re not careful. We no longer allow the Bible to determine the difference between right and wrong, and today, very few kinds of behaviors are looked upon in the world as being wrong or sinful. But there are things that are unchanging. It doesn’t just say that God has the capacity to love, but that He IS love. Jesus tells us to: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 6:12), If we are among the poor or the persecuted, we are in good company. That is immense comfort, also for us today. In fact, we’re really starting to live in a day of anarchy. As I contemplate things above, and others unfolding here among us; as I return to familiar words and pray familiar and not-so-familiar prayers; I find rest. God has designed creation in such a way that even when our personal worlds are in a state of flux which cause us stress or anxiety, we can count on the sun to rise and set each day and for the rain to fall and the flowers to grow. Again, I for one am glad that I have a Bible to turn to today. It is not unchanging, but it is timeless, and it changes in its own time. It is very difficult for we as mortals to conceive of a being that transcends time and space, no less one who is eternal. This may sound like a constant we would rather do without; however, Jesus delighted in the work of creation and He established the earth to be cultivated and subdued. Romans 11:22 “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.”. We are living in uncertain and in many ways frightening times. 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