GETTING TO KNOW GOD:  HE NEVER CHANGES

TEXT:  "I am the LORD, I change not." - Malachi 3:16

Recently, I thought about the dramatic changes that have taken place in my lifetime.  When I was young, black and white televisions were sold along with color sets.  These days, most people have flat screen TV's with high definition.  Growing up, we had just a few local TV channels to choose from.  Now, hundreds of TV channels are available if you have a dish or subscribe to cable television.  I never used a computer when I was growing up, either in school or at home.  These days, most people use computers at home, school and work.  In fact, you're considered weird if you don't possess or use a computer.

Even worse are the moral, ethical and spiritual changes that have taken place.  When I was young, it was not common to hear of divorce.  Now, it is a common occurrence to hear that a marriage has ended.  When I was growing up, homosexuality was rarely spoken of publicly, and when it was, it was highly frowned upon.  Today, a person is considered a narrow-minded bigot if he does not endorse "an alternative lifestyle."  Honesty was greatly emphasized in my youth.  These days, people practice "situation ethics," by which they lie and cheat without remorse.  Furthermore, church was an important institution for Christians when I was growing up.  Now, professing Christians treat church like an unnecessary option.

Despite all the changes I've seen take place in my lifetime, one thing has never changed:  God!  The immutability of God is one of His attributes.  He never changes.  I've known people who seemed to change, but the Lord has not.

In the name of religion, many act like the Word of God needs to be interpreted in light of modern thought.  Just as bad, some claim to have "personal revelation" from God, which is in sharp contrast to His Word.  Because of this, there are professing Christians, even "ministers," who promote heresy. 

Here's the truth:  God has not changed.  He never has changed.  He never will change.  You don't have to wonder what His opinion is on a subject.  His stand on a subject does not sway based upon popular opinion or the latest trends. 

Furthermore, God and His Word are always in agreement.  Despite the efforts of some to change the Bible, the Word of God remains the same.  God will never do or say anything that is contrary to His Word. 

I've known people who change opinions and moods on a regular basis.  When you meet them, you never know where they stand on an issue or what kind of mood they are in.  God is not like that.  He always stands for truth and righteousness.  He never changes.

Because God never changes, we can depend upon Him to keep His Word.  If God continually changed, we would never know which, if any, of His promises would be kept.

Here's a question to ponder:  why would God ever need to change?  He is perfect.  He is always right.  Why would He change from perfection to something less?  Why would He change from right to wrong?  If God changed, He would no longer be God, would He?  Forever He remains the same. 

Because God never changes, we can trust His character.  Because He never changes, we will find consistency in Him. 

God never changes.  A few years ago, a politician ran a political campaign based upon the slogan, "Change you can believe in."  We don't need to place our faith in politicians who promise change.  Instead, we need to place our faith in the One who never changes.

Although the world changes around us, God NEVER changes!