Things that do not change # 3 - the Character of God

As we consider our list of things that do not change, we have already examined that we can trust the Word of God and we have considered that we can always rely on the presence of God with us.  Today I want to remind us of something else that does not change.  This is known as the doctrine of immutability.  God does not change.  Wayne Grudem defines this unchanging nature of God like this, “God is unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes and promises, yet God does act and feel emotions, he acts and feels differently in response to different situations.”  (from his work Systematic Theology) In other words, the character and nature of God does not change.  Notice what Malachi 3:6 says, “’For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.’”  When our world is changing constantly, we can take comfort in the constant nature of God and the fact that He is faithful to keep ALL of his promises to us.  This unchanging nature of God is also seen in James 1:17 and here we see it is the reason we can trust that all good things are coming from God above.  In Isaiah 46:9-11 we see that this part of the character of God means that we can trust that He will do what He says He will do.  This is the reason that the Word of God does not change – we cannot remove what God says from His character and our God does not change. 

Think about this during times of turmoil.  The whole world can turn upside down and backward.  Each of our lives can seem one moment certain and the next moment totally unknown.  But God does not change.  And the plan that He has enacted from before the beginning of time WILL reach its conclusion because God cannot act against His own faithful and true character.  Every Word He has spoken will not return void because of the unchanging nature of His own character. 

One of the difficulties that we face is that far too often we define God by our circumstances instead of by His character.  For example, when the Scriptures talk about the goodness of God, we take goodness and define it by our own circumstances.  Then when our circumstances change, we question the character of God.  We must not do this.  God does not change.  Therefore, what needs to change is our perspective on our circumstances.  We must learn to see our world through the means given to us – the unchanging Word of God.  We must learn to trust that God is God and there is no other.  So, when bad things happen to us, we remind ourselves that God is God and is bringing about His ultimate answer to evil through the already accomplished work of Christ.  We do not focus on the displeasure of our circumstances but focus instead on the blessings and pleasure we have because of Jesus.  And we do this because we know that God is going to accomplish His purpose because His character cannot change. 

This truth is why Jesus can say that what He teaches is a firm foundation – a foundation built on rock instead of sand.  (Matthew 7:24-27) This is why we will never go wrong when, “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.”  And in moments of uncertainty and fear it is good to remind ourselves that we can hold fast to God because, “I, the Lord, do not change. . .” (Mal. 3:6)

Our present world and fear

In one of the devotional booklets that I read, the theme of the month has been fear and how to live and address fear in the lives of Christians.  Obviously the Scriptures are full of commands to live free from fear but so often when things are uncertain we immediately fear.  Some of this is natural.  The unknown is scary.  But when we are faced with the unknown we of all people should understand that we can battle this unknown with that which is known.  God is still on the throne.  God is still perfectly capable and in control.  I want to share two passages from the devotional that I read entitled "Fear of a Changing World" by Keith A Evans.  This devotional can be found in "TableTalk" a devotional publication of Ligonier ministries.  It is in the March 2020 issue.

"Dear ones, God does not flick through the same twenty-four-hour news cycle and wring His hands in perplexity.  Our triune Lord does not look down in panic as He observe the tares earnestly growing among the wheat.  The God who encourages us not to worry about tomorrow and command us not to be anxious is Himself never anxious and does not worry."

And this one also.

"The solution to a world in constant flux is not to desperately try to stabilize and unstable world.  The cure for panicking about the winds and the waves constantly beating against the house is not to board up the proverbial windows.  Freedom from fear of change results not from the absence of change but from the presence of an unchanging God."

Psalm 46:2 "Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;"

And a few verses later in Psalm 46:10-11 "Cease Striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold."

God has got this world in his capable hands.  Sometimes we need to simply surrender our fear to trust in His unchanging character.

A prayer from Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who opposed the Nazi movement in Germany and was ultimately killed for his stance.  He was strongly committed to his belief that the church should stand up against evil.  He wrote a series of letters and papers while he was imprisoned and in these documents there was a series of prayers recorded.  I have included the English translation from Letters and Papers from Prison printed by the MacMillan Company in 1967. 

Evening Prayers

O Lord my God, I thank thee

that thous has brought this day to a close;

I thank thee for giving me rest

in body and soul.

Thy hand has guarded me and preserved me.  

Forgive my lack of faith

and any wrong that I have done today,

and help me to forgive all who have wronged me.

Let me sleep in peace under thy protection

and keep me from all the temptations of darkness.

Into thy hands I commend my loved ones

and all who dwell in this house;

I commend to thee my body and soul.

O God, thy holy name be praise.

Amen.

I find what this man wrote about forgiveness in this prayer to be crucial to our understanding of living for Jesus.  We need to both ask forgiveness and freely forgive all who have wronged us.  This does not mean we have to agree with their position as he clearly never agreed with the Nazi regime.  However we do need to by the grace of God, give them to God in our prayers.  

Thankful to a good God

Sometimes life requires us to refocus.  Often, there is something that draws our attention in and seems to force us into its attention.  This can be a difficulty or hardship.  It can be something that breaks down unexpectedly.  It can be an urgent matter at work or home.   In those moments our focus and attention are seemingly held by the event that is occurring.  It can occupy our actions and our thoughts and takes over like a hostile invading army.  When this occurs we need to refocus. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says this, "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (NASB)

In order to accomplish this seemingly impossible task we must learn to refocus.  We need to focus not on our circumstances, but on what God has done for us in Christ Jesus - for here we can always find something for which we can be thankful - no matter what the circumstances.

We are forgiven. Ephesians 1:7
We are cleansed. Titus 3:5
We are sons and daughters of God.  Galatians 4:7
We have a place prepared for us.  John 14:3
NO one can separate us from the love of God.  Romans 8:38-39
We can approach God's throne with confidence.  Hebrews 10:19-22

And the list just goes on and on.  And the great thing is that no circumstance no matter how hard can ever take one of these things away from us.  And that is something to be thankful for!

Faulty Conceptions of Love

I have never been a big fan of Valentine's Day.  I am sure that there are some deep seeded issues here like maybe in first grade I got snubbed or something, but there are no major events that I can remember that have darkened me to the day.  I do sometimes feel bad for my wife because she has never been able to brag about getting something on that day.  (for the record, I do try to make sure she has gifts throughout the year - I am not a monster).  I think the commercialism of the day has turned me off, but even more, I reject the notion of love that the day and our culture commemorate. 

Love has been completely misused.  And one of the reasons for this is that love has been turned inward on ourselves.  We have been told that we need to love ourselves and love ourselves first and it is only when you love yourself that you will be able to move forward and love others.  It is interesting that the Scriptures do not address this self-love with the same sort of admiration.   In point of fact, self love is assumed in the Scriptures.  We do love ourselves.  Paul tells husbands to love their wives as they love themselves (Eph. 5:28-29).  We are told that the second greatest commandment is to, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Self love is something we do not need any help with.  It comes naturally.  And the Scriptures tell us that if our self love becomes to great it is idolatry.  If our love is expressed toward ourselves first and foremost, we are missing the boat because the first command is to love the Lord our God with all that we have.  And then the God whom we are to love first tells us that we are to express love toward one another.  In fact the commands of the New Testament alone makes this abundantly clear.  I will cite only one example, but there are many.

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for our own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."  (Philippians 2:3-4, NASB)

Again note that it assumes self love.  What biblical love is is setting self aside for the benefit of another.  Where is that conception of love in our culture today?  Where is the understanding that love is fundamentally setting self aside willingly for the sake of others.  This is how we are to love our children.  This is how we are to love our spouses.  This is how we are to love our neighbors.  This is how we are to love our church family.  Love is about others.  Love is about self-sacrifice and service.  And there is no greater example than the love that Jesus shows to us.  When I compare His love to the love shown by the culture around me, there is no real comparison.  God is love.  He is the standard by which I am to measure that which I call love.  So there is some work to do.  Maybe I should get my wife something!

Eating a Banana

Have you ever had a moment when you were struck by the glory of our God in a weird way?   Today I was eating a banana.  As I bit into the slightly crunchy banana (the only way to eat them FYI) and the delicious banana flavor brought up so many memories of childhood banana pudding with those little round cookies in it.  I finished the bite and just say in amazement at a God who would allow me to eat so many different and all delicious fruits.  I can have this banana for breakfast and enjoy its sweet memories.  I can eat my favorite fruit (pineapple) for lunch if I desire and enjoy the sweet acidic taste.  I have oranges in my fridge too and can enjoy the taste of Florida and the reminder of our trip to see my sister-in-law and the stop at the welcome center for fresh Florida orange juice.   I can look forward to the taste of strawberries this summer and eating them with shortcake and milk!  I can even include the juicy tomato - on a burger or just poppable little grape tomatoes.  And don't get me started on the exotic fruits that I can still get here in Michigan in winter. 

I have all of these options to please my palate and of course I can thank my local grocer for that but even deeper, I am reminded of Eden before the fall.  God created us a world so that we could enjoy it and enjoy the life we get to live for the glory of God in it.  Sometimes we can adult too much and get caught up in worry and anxiety.  Today, while eating a banana, (which I used to inexplicably call ba-mon-i as an toddler)  I was reminded of the glory of God and His goodness to us! 

New Year, New Start?

I think that for many people the new year becomes a time of both reflection and then a hope for a new start in some aspect of their life.  For some it is the new start in diet and exercise that they look forward to.  For others it is perhaps a new start in some aspect of their goals - be they at work or at home.  It is a time to make plans and get organized in some aspect of life for a good number of people.  I wonder however if anyone has actually taken the time to analyze the nature of change itself and wondered why and how it is that so many people fail when they have this new start. 

Change in general is a difficult thing.  And many people see change as something within their grasp to do as if change were simply a mental choice - I want to change the way that I look at something and so I just say, I am going to change and magically, change will happen.  Except that does not seem to match the reality that change is hard and sure enough frustration comes because change does not actually happen no matter how much I mentally assent to the desire to do so. 

Some people think that if they just get the right tools that change will happen.  If I want to change my life through exercise I simply have to buy the best machine on the market and when I have the proper tools and the mental desire I will be able to of course change.  And yet a number of homes have machines gathering dust.  Apparently, adding the proper tools to the arsenal of mental desire is not sufficient to create change either.

I say all of this because many of us desire change in some spiritual aspect of our lives and we simply get frustrated and even maybe angry when this change does not occur.  We have the desire and we may even add tools to our list but at then end of the day we have not really changed our mental state or the spiritual conditions we desire to change.  My contention is that part of what change entails is a process - a process of first of all understanding the conditions that are contained by that which I need to change.  If I am changing my diet I need to understand why my diet is the way it is.  In order to change my diet I need to understand the reason I eat and the reasons I eat what I eat.  I need to deal with the change not just at the level of the food entering my mouth but the change the food that is available to put in my mouth and change not only the access to food, but the mental and physical processes behind them. 

When it comes to spiritual change I need to understand that there is a fundamental truth that seems to come with this type of change.  It begins with surrendering my own ability.  In other words, I cannot at the end of the day actually accomplish changing my spirit at all.  That is work that only God can do as I am willing to surrender the process and the results to Him.  I cannot do anything apart from Christ and His Spirit living in me.  But I also need to understand that surrender does not mean just giving it up and doing nothing.  Surrender involves finding out what He to whom I am surrendered wants me to do.  And so I need to turn to the Word of God to see what He would have me do instead of just doing on my own.  And in it all I must admit the temptation and habit of taking back that which I am doing and wanting credit for myself.  It is a perpetual process of surrender and recognition that I cannot do that which I must let the Spirit of God do in my place which leads me to do that which only He can enable me to do.  No wonder change is so hard!

I say all of this not to just increase understanding of a complex process of change but to encourage you today that if you are wanting to change to do so in the way that God designs.  Seek in His Word that which He would have you do to change from the root of the problem to its surface.  Pray continually as you do that you would not take control from Him, but instead surrender to Him as He accomplishes the change that only He can do.