The peace that comes from knowing God NEVER changes...

This week's memory verse:
"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5

Change -- it is a word and a topic that is constantly on my mind. Our world seems to change by the minute sometimes. Change is scary...we like what is familiar because we have been through it and know how to handle it.

I am a librarian...you would think that is a pretty calm and predictable job with not much change. Up until the last 10-20 years, you would have been correct. But, with the technology available today, the way we do things changes every day. It is so hard to keep up...and if we don't keep up, people will lose faith in the idea of a library and think they don't need them any more. It is scary and disconcerting to think that the thing you are good at, the thing you love to do may not be there for you to do any more...change can also be exciting...being able to be part of making things better, more efficient...shaking things up keeps you on your toes and keeps you from becoming bored. 

Our home lives can change too...babies, death, divorce, loss of jobs, new jobs, new schools, new friends, sickness...the list of possible daily changes goes on and on. The minute you get used to your life...it changes again.

With all this change, for the good or for the bad, don't we need ONE thing to remain constant to give us some stability in our lives? We do...God NEVER changes!

Our memory verse reminds us of this...all the days of our lives...God will never leave us or forsake us. Look up these other verses that tell us the same thing:

* Hebrews 13:5-8 Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow
* James 1:17 - all good gifts come from above...God does not change like the shifting shadows
* 2 Timothy 2:11-13 - if we die we will live with him. If we endure our hardships, we will reign with him. If we turn our backs on him, he turns his back on us...if we give up on him, he will REMAIN FAITHFUL.

Did you get that? If you turn your back on God, there are consequences...he turns his back on you...he is not the comforter you need (and want even if you don't know it or won't accept it)...you don't feel him with you, BUT...if you give up and disown him...he DOES NOT give up on you!!! Deuteronomy 32:3-4 says that God is the rock. His works are perfect and his ways are just. God does no wrong and ALWAYS keeps his promises!

This gives me such hope and peace! There is NOTHING we can do that will make God disown us! We may not have a relationship with him...we may mess up and walk away from
God, but he is ALWAYS THERE, waiting on us to come back to him!

God is really the ONLY constant thing in this world...the only thing that has and will remain the the same! People for THOUSANDS of years have known this and believed it. Even when our faith wavers, God does not waver!

I am thankful that God is faithful and constant. I ask that he helps us understand this, rely on that promise and stay steadfast in our love and obedience to him. When change is scary...we can hold on to a God that stays the same forever!