"The Lord Never Changes - but We Need Too!"

"I the LORD do not change.” (Malachi 3:6) About two weeks ago, I began sensing from the Lord that for myself as well as for my family, 2010 is to be a Year of CHANGE! For some, CHANGE can be a fearful thing to embrace while for others, CHANGE can be a welcome blessing. I welcome this God-led CHANGE that I am sensing which will entail several areas of my life and our family’s life. Some of these CHANGES are universal – spending MORE time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer; eating healthier and taking better care of this earthly tent the Lord has given me even though it bears the scars of many health thorns which I daily carry (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Other CHANGES are specific to my life journey of where I am in my walk with Him (1 John 2:6) and where the Lord desires me to be with Him (Jeremiah 29:11). Yet amidst this theme of CHANGE for my life in the upcoming 2010, one thing will not CHANGE: The Lord Himself! The Psalmist penned, “You (God) never CHANGE (‘You are always the same’ NLT)…” (Psalms 102:27, NCV) James 1:17 declares that God “does not CHANGE like shifting shadows.” You see, when it comes to CHANGE, that involves only us, not our God! Hebrews 13:8 records that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” This aspect of His holy nature is the very source for why He is known as our ROCK - “You are my Father, my God, the ROCK my Savior.” (Psalms 89:26) As a child of God (a genuine follower/believer), we each can cry out to our Creator, “My God is my ROCK, in whom I find protection.” (2 Samuel 22:3a, NLT) There is true comfort/peace in knowing that God does not CHANGE – what He said in the Old Testament is the same as what He speaks today –“ I have loved you, My people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to Myself.” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT) His love for us never has and never will CHANGE - what a powerful word of HOPE for each of us as we enter the new year of 2010. Let ‘the Rock’ CHANGE you this coming year to be more like Him just as He promises to in 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “The Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are CHANGED into His glorious image.” (NLT) So in 2010, seek out God-led CHANGES in the Lord – welcome them along life’s journey in His gift of the new year. Embrace the Christ-led CHANGES that He leads you to undertake – for they will bring Him glory and CHANGE you to be more like Him! What a wonderful God that we serve! …Selah!
May we all have a Blessed Journey of Faith in the New Year!
Today's CCM video can be viewed upon clicking the title of the song, "Unchanging" by Chris Tomlin

Turning & Walking Away ... Not an Option!

“Giving Himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in His presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted.” (Colossians 1:21, The Message [TM]) As we close out the gift of another life year, I continue to be somberly reflective at the growing number of “believers” that are choosing to walk away from God and His Church. A 2004 study found that “the Church is losing 7,600 (estimated) a day in Europe and North America combined…that means that every week, more than 53,000 people leave church and never come back!" This should serve as a sobering Wake Up call for God’s Church today (Romans 13:11-14) as I believe it to be a prophetic indication of the prophecy of Matthew 24:10 which says that “many will turn away from Me.” (NLT) As disheartening as this is, it is not a new trend (“there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9), only one that is expanding more rapidly in these Last Days before Christ’ return. God saw His chosen people, Israel, follow the same pattern of waywardness as He addressed this same issue with them through the prophet Jeremiah, “My people, you abandoned Me and walked away.” (Jeremiah 15:6, CEV) So how do WE avoid becoming a part of this statistic ourselves? By “guard(ing) your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” (Proverbs 4:23, HCSB) Most of those who have walked away, when fully honest with themselves and God, share that this turn did not happen all at once – it was progressive. The reasons for the turn run aplenty, but the end result is the same: the freewill choice to walk away from God and His gift of spiritual family (ekklesia, His body – His Church) and the resolve to journey throughthis life on your own. As a shepherd of the Lord, I have encountered this most tragic statistic in the domain of reality – with real people, some of whom we have known & have journeyed together with for years and others who you meet along life’s journey that have chosen to travel the same path away from God. Today’s reflection is not one of condemnation or judgment, but one shared in brokenness over the loss of sojourners from one of the greatest blessings we have – the honor to be able to climb the mountain of God in community together (Exodus 24:13, ‘with our spiritual family’). As we approach a new life year in 2010, I challenge each of us to spend some time renewing our walk with Christ – dig deeper into His Word; trust His promises; nJoy the gift of ekklesia that we all have in being a valuable member of His body; commit to guarding your heart and take comfort in knowing that no matter where you are or what you have been through, God promises us that He “will never walk away from His people, never desert His precious people.” (Psalms 94:12, TM) Let's commit afresh to climb the mountain of God ... together! …Selah!
Today's CCM video can be viewed upon clicking the title of the song, "Mountain of God" by Third Day