My title for this devotion is Change vs Stagnation.
At this writing I am 67 years old. Lord willing, I will stay that age for at least 10 more months. 🙂 A lot has happened in those 67 years. Times of unadulterated joy; times of unmitigated tears. Times of excitement; times of boredom. Times of closeness to God; times of distance from God. Times of warmth; times of stone coldness. You get the picture. But there is one constant in all 67 years on this planet: C.H.A.N.G.E.
My philosophy has been either change or be stagnant; either show signs of life or signs of death. Some change is painful-it is required due to life’s circumstances. Some change is easy-it is crystal clear that a particular direction is the right one. But the constant is change.
There are some things that don’t change. God-His Word. Jesus-His love. The Spirit-His presence. The Bible-His standard. In all of those (and more) it is not them that change. It is me. The Apostle Paul was so grateful for the change brought about by God’s presence in his life. The older he got the more like his Master he became. From the initial rigid, rule-demanding Pharisee and killer of Christ-followers, he became the Apostle who wrote about God’s magnificent grace. Paul changed. From the persecutor to the one who was persecuted. Paul changed. As he got older and changed more, God’s unending grace became more and more evident.
Can I say that? Can you? Am I more grace-filled at 67 than I was at 60? At 55? I’d like to believe the answer is a resounding yes!! I have no problem answering that question when comparing 67 to 25 or 30 or 35 or 40. I hardly knew what grace was back then so there is no question. But I must still be changing and never stop.
“Father, keep changing me. Please help me to see stagnation is not a way to live. Allowing your change to be evident in my life is how I want to be.”
Ditto, Bill! I love what you wrote: God-His Word. Jesus-His love. The Spirit-His presence. The Bible-His standard.
Amen and Amen! He truly can be counted on!
If I ain’t growing, I am dying
Yes, Bill, if we’re not willing to embrace change, trusting that the Lord has our backs, we can’t continue to grow in His immeasurable love and grace. May God change us daily to be more and more like Jesus.
Blessings!
I love the fact that although we don’t necessarily learn anything new as the years zip by, we do grow older and wiser. That’s always a plus!