February 9, 2011 … God Doesn’t Change

Passage of the Day: Psalm 102: 26 – 27 … 26 They [the created heavens and earth] will perish, but You [God] remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing, You will change them and they will be discarded. 27 But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.

My Journal for Today: If you’ve been reading along with me in my devotional journal entries, this month I’m being led by John Macarthur’s devotional, Strength For Today, in a study trying to get to know our God more intimately. Today’s verse proclaims and exposes God’s character quality of immutability or His unchanging nature. Other passages support this, such as Malachi 3: 6 or James 1: 17 …

SCRIPTURE: Mal. 3: 6 "I, the LORD, do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.”
SCRIPTURE: James 1: 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows.

Yes, there are some, claiming to be Christian, like the “Open Theists,” who claim that God changes, pointing to passages like Amos 7: 3, 6 or Jonah 3: 10, where God appears to “change His mind.” However, in those instances, God didn’t change. He remained absolutely true to His love, merciful character, allowing His children to live when, in fact, they changed.

Think about it. We could never trust a God Who changed in His character. But we don’t have to worry about that. Our Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. [see Hebrews 13: 8] When one comes to know God, primarily through the revelation and understanding of His word, that believer knows how God will respond in a certain set of circumstances. God doesn’t lie (see Numbers 23: 19). When God’s word says, “the wages of sin is death,” [see Rom. 6:23] God means it! Count on it! It’s a done deal!

For the unbeliever this means eternal death (again see Romans 6: 23 and also Ezekiel 18: 20]; … for the believer it means eternal life (I’ll bet you know John 3: 16!). And God’s unalterable promises mean that I can (and do) KNOW that God will always supply my needs (see Philippians 4: 19) … that He will always love me in spite of my sinfulness (Jeremiah 31: 3) … that He will always forgive my sins and cleanse me (1st John 1: 9) … that He’ll never forsake me [Hebrews 13: 5] … and I could go on and on and on and on.

So, that’s why we need to get to know our God … really know Him … deeply know Him. We need to get to know His word because it is unchanging truth from an unchanging God. And the more we abide in our immutable God and His unchanging truths, we’ll learn that He will be there with and for us ALWAYS … that He’ll ALWAYS be the same … and we will come to know a God that can be trusted even when the circumstances are not going the way we might like for them to go.

My Prayer Today: Lord, I thank You for Your unchanging promises and Your ever present, immutable Spirit. Amen