Change comes with the seasons. The brilliant colors of fall give way to the drab browns of early winter. Soon the monochromatic white and gray of winter will be here. Changes in daylight, temperature, foliage, and precipitation are all part of the seasons.
Changes come from a variety of sources. Elections, earthquakes, environment, experiences, and education all can produce change. The old adage, “The more things change, the more they remain the same” was quoted by politicians and musicians. It can apply to human nature as well as anything.
Fortunately, things don’t have to stay the same in terms of human experience. Changes for the better are God’s plan for man. It is ironic that the one who never changes can bring such dynamic change to us. The Bible says, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The God who brought incredible change will continue to do so.
Yet he did undergo extreme change by taking on the form of man. He experienced human nature so that we can experience divine nature. Promises that are beyond great and precious, like that of 2 Peter 1:4, allow us to partake of the divine nature. A choice has to be made to gain that experience and escape corruption in the world.
Jesus taught a born again experience. “Born of the water and of the Spirit” is what he commanded in John 3:5. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” While it is a marvel, Jesus was trying to show that all who want it and are willing to obey his word could experience it.
An example is given in Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth. He reminded them of what their lifestyle used to be. He said, “And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (I Corinthians 6:11). Great change came to them by the name of Jesus and by the Spirit of God.
Catastrophe can bring painful change. In the Bible, Job lost health, wealth, and family in a short period of time. Months of pain and sickness followed. Comfort was beyond his reach. However, he held faithfully to his trust in God. He asked the eternal question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” He continued with commitment and faith, “All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14). Wonderful change came as God rewarded his faithfulness with twice as much as he possessed before.
Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15, “We shall be changed.” God’s plan is for corruption and mortality to be changed to incorruption and immortality. Death and the grave will no longer have power over man. We obtain this “victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That is the change we look for and long for as we follow him.
Mitch Glover is pastor of the Sterling Pentecostal Church located on Swanson River Road at Entrada. Services on Sunday include Bible classes for all ages at 10:00 a.m. and worship at 11:00 a.m. Thursday Bible study is at 7:00 p.m. (sterlingpentecostalchurch.com)
