God Never Changes...But We Should
When everything around us seems to change, God remains constant. Yet that unchanging nature invites us not to stay the same, but to be continually renewed within, allowing our faith to deepen even as our outer selves evolve.
The past few days, Janan and I have been visiting friends in Toronto—many we haven't seen for years.
When you go to a place where you used to live but haven't been to in a while, the first things you notice are the changes. The new displays at the airport, that high-rise which wasn't there before, or friends who have added a few more kids.
Change can be great, change can be hard, but one thing we know: change is unavoidable. Much as we try to resist changes to our physical body by halting the aging process (something Jessica Hartkopf wrote about in yesterday's devotional), our world is constantly shifting.
So, how should this impact our souls?
God Never Changes...But We Should
This is where it gets a bit tricky.
On the one hand, God never changes, so if we're walking in step with him, this means we should never change.
There's just one problem. Several actually.
We are prone to wander (Isa. 53:6). We are tempted to sin (Matthew 4). And we are constantly increasing in wisdom (Luke 2:52). Not only that, but our eyes can only see a reflection of what is to come (1 Cor. 13:12).
To say we should never change is to say we've already become like Christ and there is no room for improvement. But to say we should always change reveals our anchor point is not established in Christ.
Slow and Quick
As with most things, this is where balance (an overused word I try to avoid, but it is useful in this case) is necessary.
I believe the ideal process of becoming more like Christ is both slow and quick.
The more confidence we have in Jesus, the more we should have a steady faith, a slow faith, that isn't shaking from day to day. The "big rocks" largely remain the same, and significant midlife doctrinal shifts should not be points of spiritual pride but cause for humility.
That said, the small rocks—the words we speak to a coworker, the mood we set in the morning with our spouse, and the amount of time we spend worrying about things we can't control—should constantly be shifting.
Immature Christians reverse this order, and they're always shifting the macro but ignoring the micro. They're quick to embrace the latest doctrinal trends of the day, while slow to allow God to shape their character.
Outward Versus Inward
Don't let this be you. Instead, remember these words from Paul, where he says in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
The Greek word for “wasting away” (diaphtheiretai) suggests gradual deterioration. In contrast, “being renewed” (anakainoutai) points to a continual process of spiritual rejuvenation by the Holy Spirit. And the phrase “day by day” underscores that this renewal is not a one-time event but an ongoing transformation.
We are to hold fast to the unchanging person of Christ, but allow ourselves to be shaped in the process. As we do this, our outer person may weaken, but our inner person will grow stronger through faith.
