No rules, just right (?)

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

You may remember an advertising slogan adopted by Outback Steakhouse over a decade ago. Playing up the casual, Australian-influenced vibe of the restaurant chain, the company coined the catchphrase- “No rules, just right.”

The aim of the ad was to convince you to have a nice meal in a causal atmosphere and that, despite being based in Tampa, FL, it was exotic and edgy to head to the Outback for dinner.

Occasionally, I hear someone say, “Don’t you wish you could just say what you really think? We need to let people know we aren’t going to stand for what they are doing!”

This statement is usually implying that the unwritten rules of society or politeness prevent us from saying and doing what we really want. We seem to wish that a place could exist where there would be no rules and it would be just right for us. In reality, we might be forced to admit that in a world full of imperfect people, we do in fact need rules, whether laws or manners, that help to provide guidance and structure to our society.

The best rules are not intended primarily to limit personal freedom, but to provide protection and fairness to the larger whole. The Christian life calls us to freedom in Christ, but in the same verse we are warned not to use our grace-bought salvation as a covering to continue in our personal vices (Gal 5:13). Paul reminds us that in Christ “no one lives to himself, and no one dies to himself” (Rom 14:7).

Our lives in this world, and especially within the body of Christ, are mutually dependent. While the law of the Spirit has set us free, we are not to use our liberty to judge or abuse others who have not yet accepted or understood this gift of God. Rather than embracing an aggressive, haughty spirit in regard to our rights, we are cautioned again and again not to focus on our own interests, but to be concerned about interests of others (Phil 2:4). Spiritually, freedom is not a license to sin and live as we want, but is a calling to serve and to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Rom 6:1-4; Eph 5:21).

We all need guidance in this life, we need structure, we need guardrails.

We must come to appreciate that the rule of Christ in our lives is actually the source of true liberty and lasting freedom as we experience forgiveness and hope in Him.

Under the Old Covenant, the people of God lived with a set of commandments that touched each aspect of their lives. As we often still do today, these ancient believers added customs and traditions to this already detailed code of life. While its words were the truth of God, the spirit of legalism that sprang up around the Law became a burden rather than a blessing. This system of legal codes plus customs became more complex and convoluted over the centuries.

When challenged to rank these commandments, Jesus declared that love for God and love for neighbor are the two great commands that lie behind all others (Mark 12:28-34). For disciples of Jesus, such love ultimately serves as the overarching rule of life. If we are led by love, we will not insist on our own way, but will submit our lives in worship and service. In reality, the rule of love does not restrain our freedom but leads us toward genuine relationship with God and with others.

Love is the one rule, but it’s just right.

Thoughts for Thanksgiving

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

As we near Thanksgiving, many people will be discussing the history of this holiday and the ways our celebrations have altered through the years. Whether you observe a traditional meal with family, spend the day serving others, watch football with friends, or work in an essential job, we as believers do not actually require a specific setting to celebrate and give thanks. We remember Paul’s encouragement from 1 Thessalonians 5, “In everything, give thanks.”

What are some circumstances in which we can especially celebrate and give thanks for the goodness of God?

We should give thanks each time we worship. One of our most joyful callings as Christians is to worship. When we look at the pages of Scripture, we see not only accounts of worship among God’s people, but we even can read the words which have been said/sung in worship for millennia. During the challenges of COVID, we saw the renewed importance of public worship with the gathered church, and we must also have hearts filled with praise and devotion each day. As God’s people, we need to be so attuned with worship that when we miss it, we truly miss it. We give thanks for the freedom we have to worship, and we should give thanks to God that He desires our praise and blesses with us the truth and spirit to guide our interactions with Him.

In addition to worship, we should give thanks for every opportunity to serve others. While we exalt the Lord in our praises, we are likewise called to turned our gratitude into a drive to carry the love of Christ into the world. Each day, we are given opportunities to celebrate being the hands and feet of Jesus to a world besieged by conflicts and hardships. Our prayer ought to be, “Thank You, Lord, for Your gifts and grace to me. Open my eyes to the needs of others, and make me a servant.” Scripture gushes with both commands and examples regarding the church’s call to serve (James 1:27; Mt 23:11; Rom 12:1; John 13). It is the goal of a disciple to imitate the master. As Christ demonstrated, we should not seek to be served, but to serve and to offer our lives for others (Mt 20:28).

Worship and service ought to be a constant in our approach to discipleship, but we should greatly celebrate each time we see a person come to Christ. The earliest conversions to Christ always brought rejoicing (Acts 2:40-47; 8:39; 16:34). We should never get tired of telling the story of Jesus and witnessing the good news change lives. We must avoid “elder brother syndrome” (Luke 15) and “early riser syndrome” (Mt 20:1-16). We cannot allow longer lives of faithfulness to become a platform to judge others who have taken a different path, but instead our lives are to be a venue of rejoicing when the lost are found and gathered home to the Father.

I am thankful for you as a reader, and I am grateful that we have an opportunity to celebrate the goodness of God together as we meet in this space from time to time. We are a blessed people, and through our engagement with one another, we learn, grow, and are able to draw closer to unity based in Christ.

The Christian life is not meant to be a sour, negative, gripe-filled experience.

We give thanks for our blessings past, and we long to be strengthened as we continue our journey of faith.

Power in Gratitude

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

In recent years, our society has come to appreciate more and more the power of our attitudes, thoughts, and perspectives to shape our lives. We are not simply a mathematical-like result of the things that have happened to us- we are greatly shaped by the way we understand and relate internally to life’s events. We see firsthand how attitude can impact a classroom, a workplace, or a sports team.

One path to a stronger inner life is cultivating a greater sense of gratitude.

Of all the gratitude we might offer in this life, I believe the intentional decision to give thanks to God should be our starting point. I include the phrase “intentional decision” because far too often our thanksgiving to God can become unfocused and generic. While we are certainly thankful for “all our many blessings,” it will powerfully change the mental/spiritual impact of our gratitude when we make offering specific thanks to God a part of every day.

Was the sunrise beautiful this morning? Offer thanksgiving in that moment.

Did a friend receive good news about a health scare? Pause and give thanks.

Has your wayward adult child expressed a desire to return to Christ? Let your heart exalt in thanksgiving then and there.

Did the meeting at work go well with all parties leaving satisfied? Lift a word of thanks for that blessing.

In reality, it is not that we lack things to be thankful for, but that we are often not paying attention and fail to acknowledge God as the source of the good in our lives. Deciding to see His blessings and to speak thanks to Him changes our perspective for the better.

While God is to be thanked for every good gift, it is also vital that we freely offer thanks to the people around us. In the busyness of daily life, it can be easy to take for granted the presence and sacrifices of parents, spouse, children, or coworkers. We do not need special occasions to thank those who have shaped us into who we are.

Showing gratitude to those nearest to us is sometimes difficult not due to distance or lack of opportunity, but simply because we do not intentionally think about it or because it seems odd to offer thanks for what we expect from certain people. Even routine actions that we might have taken for granted at work or around the house present occasions for gratitude and thanks.

Grace and gratitude naturally work to bond people and to diffuse potential conflict. Much tension in our personal relationships could be resolved if we thanked more and criticized less.

In perhaps an odd turn, I also mention that we should offer thanks to those who oppose us. When people disagree with us or our views, we can respond with grateful appreciation for the reminder to examine our position and make any needed corrections. Even if we are in the right, such opposition provides us with more opportunities to offer grace to others. It is hard to see that sometimes the very thing that seems to harm us in the moment is an avenue to greater blessing and influence. Growth comes not from opposition itself, but from our response and our choice to see challenges as potential channels of blessing.

Living our days in a mindset that actively seeks to be thankful will change how we perceive and respond in our relationships and in the circumstances of our lives.

Gratitude possesses great spiritual power, and when we intentionally look for blessings and seek opportunities to give thanks, we will always find more of both.

Called to ministry?

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

Are you called to ministry?

While not every believer is gifted for missionary service or for a vocational livelihood within the church, all those who follow the path of Christ are called to ministry in its most fundamental sense- sacrificial service offered to God through service to others.

Perhaps a limited definition of ministry and an often hyper-specific concept of calling have contributed to the framing that unintentionally creates two classes of disciples- some as “professionals” and others as “just everyday Christians.”

Many of us may have been raised as believers by believers, and our personal narratives may lack the moments of coming to ourselves in the gutter or having a specific Damascus Road-style encounter. We don’t need a dramatic testimony of our personal brokenness to equip to minister to others- we simply need the realization that the best moralist and the most public sinner are both in desperate need of salvation in Christ.

In 1 Peter 2, Scripture reminds us that all believers are given roles and functions in building up the spiritual house of God. Paul notes in Romans 12, as well as in 1 Cor 12, that believers are to give their lives as living sacrifices through diverse ministries including preaching, giving, encouraging, leading, and showing mercy.

Whether we come to Christ through a dramatic turnaround or a more slowly developing movement toward embracing Christ’s will, all who come to share in Christ’s family are likewise called to use our lives in service to build and extend His kingdom.

We are told to use whatever we have for the building up of the body of Christ (Eph 4:12). For some, it may be advanced academic training in theology- after all, we need Bible translators, apologetics experts, and Christian professors. For others, the lessons of Christianity will be experienced less in a classroom and more in the streets- whether as people in recovery, people in the helping professions, or both.

We need believers who possess a deeper knowledge of God’s Word, and we need believers who have experienced those timeless truths directly in their own lives. No single disciple and no single body of believers will be a perfect blend of every attribute, but together we unite to form a worshipping community that can better display the fullness of Christ to the watching world.

 We need believing farmers, school teachers, factory workers, salesmen, bankers, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, and stay-at-home parents. We need wealthy believers who use their financial blessings for good, and we need to recognize our brothers and sisters among the most poor and marginalized folks in our communities. We need believers who focus on offering more Christ-centered teaching, and we need believers who share in serving and seeking justice for the most vulnerable people who stand in need of the hope of Jesus and the healing relationships found most fully in Christ’s church.

As we read about earliest Christians, we can appreciate that Paul and Peter, Mary and Martha, Barnabas and Stephen, Lydia and Timothy were all faithful to the Lord, but each one was faithful using his/her own particular gifts and talents. Like them, our own stories are not identical as we work out the ministries God has placed before us.

No two people have the same exact skills and gifts, but we must come to see that the gospel’s call to salvation in Christ is always accompanied by the call to serve in Christ’s kingdom.

It’s not just a list

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

Several years ago, well-known preacher Fred Craddock presented a memorable sermon based on Romans 16. Like many of the closing chapters of the New Testament letters, this chapter is often neglected because it contains a long list of names- individuals that the apostle Paul wanted to recognize and inquire about within the church in Rome.

Paul’s comments found here are markedly different from the deep, theological content of the early letter- almost as if Paul has offered his letter as a sermon and then added these thoughts like we might offer congregational announcements or a prayer list. Craddock wisely notes that we often miss out in failing to pay closer attention to these names- these are the very men and women that Paul, and the Holy Spirit through his words, wanted to acknowledge and bring to the reader’s attention. It’s not just a list to be skimmed over- it is the recognition of otherwise unknown Christians who are our spiritual ancestors in the faith.

If asked to name individuals who influenced your faith, who would be on your list?

For most of us, it would not be primarily well-known evangelists, successful celebrity pastors, or famous missionaries. Instead, our mind’s eye would turn back to the people that first taught us the good news about Jesus and the individuals who have demonstrated faithfulness through the tough times and trials of life. On my list, I would place my parents and grandparents who provided living examples and sources of constant encouragement to me.

Beyond my family, I would think about Larry, an elder in the congregation where I grew up. Larry ran an auto parts store during the week and served as an active Sunday School teacher in our local church. Larry later began preaching full-time for a smaller church in our community and continues to give his retirement years to volunteer work and raising funds for Christian summer camps.

A little later in my youth, a new school teacher who had moved to our community began to serve as a part-time youth minister in our church. Bobby became a life-long friend first by taking me to youth events and then encouraging me to use my gifts in church settings. Two decades after those days in the youth group, Bobby officiated our wedding ceremony- a youth minister who became a fellow preacher, peer, and dear friend.

I think about the women of our community who shaped by life through their faithful servant hearts and godly examples. Women like Johnnie Bell, Jermie, Peggy, Annette, Loretta, Nancy, Gwen, Betty, the three Louise(s), and others who through my childhood and early ministry encouraged and prayed for me. My list includes my college roommate Brandon who died young, but left a lasting influence of faith on each life he touched.

None of these people will be remembered for founding a Christian college, taking the gospel into dangerous foreign fields, or leading revivals that saw thousands come to Christ, but each one made a lasting difference in my walk with Christ. Whatever difference I make in ministry stands upon the support and encouragement of such people. Anyone I might influence who then in turn will influence others can know that the  stream of service we stand in spans back through generations to the earliest disciples.

I hope the next time we are reading Scripture and run across names like Amplias, Epaenetus, or Urbanus, we will not skip over them as just unpronounceable names, but instead will remember that God’s Word and God’s story is full of people we will never meet who changed the world by being faithful to Christ right where they were.

Love lightens the burden

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

Photo by Timur Kozmenko – Pexels

At some point in life, we each experience a shift in perspective that changes our minds.

Perhaps we thought big vacations were overhyped until we saw the expression on our granddaughter’s face as she saw Cinderella’s castle for the first time. Perhaps we never liked a particular band until hearing a certain song that reminded us of a specific moment our childhood. Perhaps we could only see another school in a harsh spirit of rivalry until the students held a fundraiser for a personal friend who had been suddenly stricken with cancer.

There is a common thread tying together such changes of mind: when we are personally connected to a place, person, or community, we come away with a different perspective than we could ever experience only as unattached onlookers or observers. When our affections are impacted, our thoughts are reshaped as well.

Jesus spoke of His yoke being easy and His burden being light (Mt 11:28-30). When we think about the commands of Jesus- to love enemies, to forgive repeat offenders, to serve the poor and suffering, and so forth- it is easy to believe Jesus is sharing an ideal of discipleship rather than the reality most of us actually experience. How can doing the “impossible” tasks Jesus commands be in any way easy or light?

When loving relationships are placed at the center of our lives, this focus dramatically alters our response to the will of God.

As long as we see God’s will as a tax and weight upon our own desires and dreams for our lives, we will struggle to live by faith. If our obedience to God is motivated only by fear or the hope of earning greater blessing, we will not be able to sustain conformity to God’s will over time.

If, however, we accept the grace-filled gift of God’s love and seek to live in faithful response to that love, the overflow of our love serves to open our lives more and more to His will. If I am guided by obligation or fear, my actions will betray my lack of deep commitment or affection for whatever work I am involved in. No matter how faithful my actions are outwardly, the inner war of forcing myself to obey will reveal itself in my attitude, my tone, my words, and eventually my actions.

Compulsion and duty may push me to serve for a time, but my heart will not be truly invested in my discipleship. Frustration, anger, and burnout are the overflow of a heart that day by day must force itself to do what is right without the underlying motivation of genuine love and compassion. While going through the motions may keep us outwardly faithful for a season, without love for God and love for others our actions are just so much activity and noise that can never satisfy us nor please God (1 Cor 13:1-3).

When we love a job, even the hardest work seems less burdensome. When we love a person, no sacrifice seems too great to bring about their happiness. If we love our country or a cause deeply, no call of duty can come that we would not accept. In an even greater way when we come to love God, His commands become more and more a source of delight rather than dread.

When love is present, His call to serve becomes an added source of blessing rather than another burden. Such unburdened rest is found not in the absence of activity but in our daily submission as we offer Christ our brokenness and open our hearts to His blessing.

Kindness is always a good fit

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

Several years ago following the closing of my local men’s shop, I found myself needing a new suit.

While in Nashville for doctor’s appointment, I noticed a national menswear location having a sale nearby.

I was in my mid-20s, several friends were marrying in the coming months, and I needed to make my purchase soon.

Upon entering, I spotted an older man who appeared the stereotype of a tailor- tape measure around his neck, reading glasses perched on his nose, and a determined look on his face.

The store was empty of other customers, so I walked up, and briefly explained I didn’t wear a suit often, but I was looking for something simple for funerals, weddings, and special occasions.

Looking me up and down, he responded, “Well, do you prefer the Asian style cut or more of a European fit?”

He could tell I did not know the difference, and it seemed to give him joy to watch me look unsure.

“I am not sure. Just simple and black and that fits well I think,” I finally answered.

“Unless you know what you want, I can’t help you. Look around if you want,” he said and went back to folding shirts.

While this was a relatively minor incident, it made me feel small, unwelcome, and foolish. I was a most willing customer, but for whatever reason, he did not see me, listen to me, or do anything helpful- instead, he left me feeling that I was not worthy of his time, energy, or effort.

Because he did not make any effort to listen or truly help, he missed an opportunity to not only make a sale, but to show common courtesy.

And I was still without a suit.

A rival chain store was nearby, so I stopped there. As I entered, I met William.

William also had the tape measure and reading glasses, but he had a smile, warmth, and questions.

He asked what I was looking for, where I lived, what I did for a living, how often I wore a suit, how long I had been in ministry, how soon I would need the suit if it required alterations.

Because of a seasonal markdown, I could actually buy two suits with my budget, and he advised me to do the basic black I needed, but also a more youthful brown.

He spent well over an hour with me- measuring, adjusting, and giving me time to consider options and styles. I mentioned my plans to a wedding the next weekend, and he offered to have any alterations done quickly so I would not have to make another trip to Nashville.

I drove home that day with not only the clothes I needed, but with more confidence, a sense of being heard and helped, and a great impression of that man and his store.

Now years later, I still have “William the Suit Guy” saved in my phone, and I have shopped with that company several times since.

Small encounters matter a great deal.

People we encounter every day may appear to have widely differing needs, but each person wants to feel seen, appreciated, and valued.

For all I know the man at the first store was just having a bad day, but I still remember how I felt when I walked out of his store and the stark contrast when I left after my time with William a few hours later.

While person’s faith must be grounded in truth and not based on feelings alone, how we choose to respond when people ask us about our faith will either welcome conversations or will serve to shut down even the most eager, curious people.

I pray that our hearts will be more attuned to hear what people are truly saying, and our words and actions might point them to our Lord who loves, listens, and truly cares about each person.

Harvest Time Is Here

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We find ourselves once again in the midst of the harvest season here in rural West Tennessee.

For the next few weeks, farmers will continue to labor to bring forth from the fields the abundance of what has grown over the last several months. We are blessed to live in an agricultural community- where we live daily in connection with both the bounty and burdens that come with being stewards of the land.

Composed in the midst of agrarian cultures, Scripture turns often to the images of planting, husbandry, and harvest as present physical realities that illustrate eternal spiritual truth. In the narratives of the Bible, sowing, tending, and reaping are near constant themes.

Like our ancestors, we come to appreciate that tomorrow’s harvest is based on yesterday’s labors.

No realistic farmer would live in the expectation of a vast harvest to come unless many hours of preparation and planting had already occurred.

While this may seem obvious to us who are familiar with the sight of planters and sprayers giving way to scenes of combines and cotton pickers as the seasons change, we often ignore this principle spiritually.

Many churches and communities look up one day to appoint new leaders or to recruit new volunteers and realize the preparation for these roles should have been initiated long before the workers were needed.

What holds true in our churches holds true in our own hearts.

If we are unwilling to cultivate our lives faithfully, we should not expect the most fruitful harvest.

God can, and does, bring forth unexpected blessings, but our responsibility to plant faithfully and tend consistently in His kingdom today is His appointed way to prepare the harvest we long to see in the future.

As with physical farming, we also acknowledge that a given season’s harvest is impacted by many factors- some we can control and some we cannot.

Sickness, economics, and the decisions of others can all powerfully affect the outward results of our lives. Despite seeking to be faithful and to lean into God’s leading, we sometimes face tough seasons of loss, hurt, or personal challenges.

Faithful living, like faithful farming, comes by adjusting as best we can to these circumstances we can never fully predict.

The life of faith requires the daily choice to keep trusting and keep working in spite of the unforeseen hardships we face. As believers, we rest in God’s faithfulness, and from this assurance, we labor in love to share His gifts and to bless others day by day.

We also come to understand that the opportunity to harvest must be seized when the time is right.

If we panic and gather too soon, we pick a crop that is immature, not fully formed, and suffer loss. If we wait for perfect conditions to arrive, we risk a crop that is too dry, water-damaged, insect-compromised, or impacted by the coming of winter.

It is the goal of the farmer, as well as the active disciple, to develop an understanding of different soils, seeds, moisture, geography, and weather conditions, and to come to appreciate the “just right” moment to gather in the crop.

When the moment is right, it becomes a race against time and the factors of life to garner in the crop while it will yield the best result.

Such a sense of timing, both in farming and in discipleship, is best gained by imitating those who have gone before and learning through our own experiences over a lifetime of faithful living.

Humanity’s roots in farming are ancient, but the applications we can gain spiritually from observing the physical harvest are as fresh as a crisp fall morning.

May we not neglect to appreciate and value what God’s created order reveals about our own hearts.

Come aside and rest awhile…

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

We have all experienced situations where we could sense the momentum of the moment was shifting dramatically.

The excitement swelling up in a crowd at a concert when the first chords of the band’s hit song are struck. The rush taking over in a crowded gym as one team enters the zone where they can do nothing wrong and the other can seem to do nothing to stop them. The shift moving through a tense meeting when one idea rises to the top and soon carries the conversation.

In such moments of excitement and power, we often feel both a sense that we cannot let the opportunity pass and also a feeling that we are caught up in something far bigger than ourselves.

I believe wanting to act on momentum while still appreciating the real danger of being overwhelmed by activity was an issue in the early church.

These believers were truly on the cutting edge of a movement that in the span of one lifetime “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6), and yet most were common, everyday people without formal training in either theology or ministry (Acts 4:13).

It would have been easy to get caught up in the momentum that accompanied the miracles and mission work and to lose their grounding as servants of Jesus.

In our own time, we do not have to look hard to see men and women committed to God’s work who have become battered by stress, overwhelmed by burnout, and collapsed under moral or relational failure.

How did Jesus respond during His earthly ministry when His disciples brought news of the skyrocketing momentum and constant activity in their ministries?

In Mark 6, Jesus commissions His apostles to go out in pairs to teach, heal, and share the good news in the power of the Spirit. Almost immediately, these efforts yield huge results as the sick, possessed, and hurting are brought to them and restored- opening the door to their preaching and teaching.

The crowds are flocking to receive blessing and hear the truth. When they report back to Jesus later in the same chapter (Mk 6:30), they relate to Jesus all that is happening through their teaching and miracle-working.

In the midst of a thronging crowd so dense they did not even have time to break to eat, Jesus says, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile.” (Mk 6:31)

In a moment of great momentum and excitement, Jesus calls for them to pull back and to rest and refocus.

This strategy is certainly opposite of what we would expect of a charismatic leader or any public figure today.

Rather than pushing them to bigger numbers and pressing into deeper and deeper activity, Jesus discerns that their incredible report calls for intentional rest.

The crowds can, and in fact do, keep coming, but Jesus acknowledges that there is a danger in becoming overextended- even in the best of all possible causes.

Connection with Jesus Himself, rather than the signs, the wonders, and even the doctrine, proved to be the essential element needed to maintain and grow health and holiness among the first disciples.

I would suggest that the same is true for us as followers of Christ today.

Momentum is a blessing, but it can never be allowed to become the primary factor in building and sustaining a ministry or a movement.

Spiritual maturity and deep relationships will always sustain us longer than passing momentum and exciting circumstances.

Momentum yields powerful fruits and blesses us in certain seasons, but our long-term connections with Christ, Scripture, and fellow believers provide the roots that continually equip us with the subtle strength we will need for a lifetime of faith.

Will change make us bitter or better?

/ Will N. / Leave a comment

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán

We are living through a time of tremendous shifts- political, social, cultural, and spiritual.

Who deserves blame? Who deserves credit?

Does it matter how we respond to times of change? How can we respond faithfully to times of transition in our world?

As we live by faith, we must acknowledge that change is a part of life.

In our country’s history, we can consider that Civil War veterans lived to see the Great Depression, and only six decades passed between the first airplane flight and the Apollo moon landing. As many noted yesterday, many children born after September 11, 2001 are now adults with some already serving in the military.

Time truly marches on.

Major changes are a part of not only our specific national history, but the overall ongoing passage of time.

The wise speaker of Ecclesiastes 3 declared that “to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”

In this passage’s contrasting list, birth and death, planting and harvest, breaking down and building up, along with many other cycles of life, are shared as proof that the one constant is the presence of change.

Change is not only possible in our lives- it is certain.

Our faith cannot prevent change, but it does equip us with a spiritual perspective when changes come.

By faith, we come to be able to acknowledge, accept, and even welcome needed changes.

The last few decades have witnessed dramatic transformations in so many areas of our lives. Technology and transportation advances alone have made everything from our shopping to our missionary support easier, safer, and more convenient.

Socially, changes have occurred that believers should welcome gladly. The Civil Rights Movement for racial equality, awareness to better care for God’s created world, and laws to prevent the exploitation of children, the elderly, and those living with disabilities have all been major changes.

We all tend to resist change unless we can see the benefit in human terms and in the impact changes have on people we love. Change is constant, but as believers we can work to guide the changes in our families, communities, and larger world.

What we do today may well be changed later, but as those seeking to live for Jesus, our goal is to share the life-changing message of Christ.

If we fail to keep His message at the center, and instead cling to one beloved method, we run the risk of losing our grounding in changing times.

All change creates uncertainty, but it is our faith that equips us to hold fast to God as we face the challenges those changes bring.

Change is scary, but the God we serve has not changed- He has not wearied or faded or lost interest in His people.

In times of change, we cannot let our fear of what might happen next blind us to the faithfulness of God in the past.

As change rapidly occurs around us in many areas of life, we can be tempted to default to an appreciation of the past coupled with discouragement in the present and despair about the future.

When we allow the specter of change to overwhelm us, we miss out on seeing the good and precious things God is doing right now in the lives of His people.

Will the forces of change overwhelm us?

Will the constant currents around us drive our roots deeper into better connection with Christ or will these same changes in our world make us petty and bitter towards others?

The changes are certain- how we respond as God’s people is up to us.