Unchanging

Most of us enjoy change—especially when it’s an improvement from what we had before. A new wardrobe, car, job, or hobby are welcome changes when it’s something we had always dreamed of doing or having. They are often blessings from God and answers to our prayers.

Unfortunately, some people try to change things about their lives that God never intended to change. God created everyone uniquely with a specific gender, personality, talent, and life calling; but many people try to change these attributes. Instead of being content with who they are, they seek ways to change themselves or wipe out the trait altogether. They want to alter themselves to match their preference or the preference of the culture. The root desire for the change is dissatisfaction with God’s original creation…and always leaves them dissatisfied and damaged.

Even the Son of God had opportunities to change—but thankfully He refused. From the beginning of time, He operated as the Son of God, no more and no less than He was. When He was baptized in the Jordan River by his cousin John the Baptist, He did not deny His role as Savior (Luke 4:17-21). When the devil tempted Him in the wilderness, He confidently rejected the opportunity to obey anyone but His Father (Matthew 4:1-11). When earthly authority persecuted and questioned Him, He refused to back down from His calling (Matthew 27:11). And when He was given the chance to call a legion of angels to rescue Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, He stayed true to His mission (Matthew 26:36-46). He was faithful to who He was—and will always be (Hebrews 13:8).

If we are unfaithful, he [God] remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is (2 Timothy 2:13, NLT).

“I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6a, NLT).

Jesus will never pretend to be someone else or deny who He really is. Though man may be unfaithful to what is true, He remains faithful to His nature. He will not deny His identity, nature, or His power. Doing so would make Him a liar. He, however, cannot lie. It is impossible for Him to lie (Hebrews 6:18-19). Lying would go against His perfect nature of integrity, and would break His own Ten Commandments (Leviticus 20:16). He does not say He is someone or something one day, and then deny His own words the next. His Word is as constant as His nature. This is a sign of His faithfulness.

His faithfulness to His nature is what makes our relationship with Him a joy and not a drudgery of obligation. Serving anyone who is constantly changing in word, nature, and operation leads to a lack of trust. But because Jesus is unchanging, it makes Him trustworthy. We can rest knowing His word and the promises that back them will never alter. This leads to not only a relationship of confidence but a relationship of love and commitment. In His love, He provides a perfect unchanging example, worthy of our imitation.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29, NKJV).

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God (Ephesians 5:1-2, NLT).

Unlike an attempted change of personality, gender, or talent, this spiritual change enhances who we are without harming God’s original design. It takes us from faith to faith and glory to glory by making us more like Him in faith and integrity (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 1:17). It draws us closer to Father God—another perfect image of love and faithfulness. It’s an unchanging image that can be trusted. Like Jesus, we are only trustworthy if we are unchanging.

When people watch our lives, they should see consistency and faithfulness. They should note that we keep our word in every situation. Our integrity, even when it feels uncomfortable, should always be upright and moral. And should we do wrong, that integrity should lead us to correct our mistakes. People should have confidence in the person God’s made us because we’re as constant as He is. This leads us to have favor with people, and an opportunity to lead them to Jesus.

To try to change our God-given identity is an insult to the way He created us. It tells Him that we don’t believe His choice of design was good enough, that it is inferior to our preference. Whether it be our gifts, gender, or calling, who we are should be grounded in His original mold for our lives. Like our Creator, we should be honest, refusing to live a lie by trying to be something we’re not. Instead, we should treasure who He is and who He made us to be. We should celebrate our lives with humility, grateful that He chose us to represent Him. If God won’t deny Who He is, then we should never deny who He made us to be.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it (Psalm 139:14, NLT).