Change or not to change - That's not even the question.

OK, last week was a interesting, tough, not easy, difficult, settled some things, stirred some things up - may sound like your week, I'll bet. Life moves even when you want it to stand still. You can't change that. I guess the word is change. It happens. Get on board.

My wife wrote a devotion for the staff at my church that I feel is very appropriate. Here it is.

There have been more changes in the past 50 years than in the past 500 put together.

• 2 generations ago people did not move more than 50 miles away from their birthplace
• When we were kids, only 4% of church members had been raised in a different denomination than the one they were worshiped in as adults. Today that number is 40%.
• Well over 25% of the English language has developed in the last 20 years
• 70% of the Fortune 500 companies on the 1955 list are now out of business. 40% of the 1979 list
• 50% of the jobs in the today’s classifieds won’t even be around 10 years from now.

This is a time of great potential for us as a church & the church as a whole. How will we respond?

3 common responses

• denial – bury your head in the sand & do what you have always done or make 1 little concession - do it faster.

• retreat – Seal ourselves off & create an out-of-touch church counterculture.

• catch the wave – will we hoist the sails & catch God’s wave? It’s a bold move but with God’s guidance & strength we could sail with confidence & purpose over the waves.

The church is God’s lifeboat – we’re not called to be comfortable. We have been given the power to ride the waves, to rescue those who are sinking. We are guaranteed to reach the other side, so we may as well enjoy the adventure.

What happens when there’s no change?

The clinical definition of death is a body that does not change. Change is life. Stagnation is death. If you don’t change, you die. Bottom line: No Change, No Future

Factoids:

• By the time I finish this devotion (reading this blog), millions of cells in our bodies will have died & our body sheds them. For every one that dies, another divides to replace it with a new one.

• Skin replaces itself every month

• The stomach replaces it's lining every 5 days

• The liver replaces itself every 6 weeks

• A man’s whole body will have changed every 5 years & a woman’s every 7

We are old & new at the same time.

Dealing with Change – some commentary from Life Application Bible

Numbers: The Israelites wilderness trek - talk about feeling uprooted. They were constantly moving thru the wilderness. They were able to handle change only because God’s presence in the Tabernacle was always with them. The portable tab signified how God & his people move together. For us, stability does not mean lack of change but moving with God in every circumstance.

1 Samuel 2:2 : Hannah praises God for being a Rock - firm, strong & unchanging. In our fast-paced world, friends come & go and circumstances change. It’s difficult to find a solid foundation that will not change. Those who devote their lives to people, causes, possessions, or other finite things are trusting their security to that which is transitory. The goals & possessions to which we work so hard will all pass away. However, God is always present and ready to help, even when all else seems to be falling apart.

1 Chron 14: David’s battles with the Philistines – In almost every situation, David prayed for guidance. New developments offer new challenges as well as new risks. We should be open to seeking God’s guidance in each new situation because this will help us avoid certain dangers. Don’t assume that God’s will or way of working in your life will always be the same. If you seek God’s leading as circumstances change, you will not see change as a threat but as an opportunity to let God work in new ways.

God’s mercies are new every morning & in heaven every day will be fresh & new. Even though God has a lot of new things coming, which means more changes – He remains the same. He’s our anchor. Here are some scriptures you’ll recognize.:

The grass withers, the flower fades but the word of our God shall stand forever.

Heaven & earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

The eternal God is thy refuge, & underneath are the everlasting arms.

But whatever is good & perfect comes to us from God, the Creator of all light, and he shines forever without change or shadow.