Thoughtful

Sometimes change is unexpected and unwanted, like termination from a job or the loss of a loved one.  Sometimes change is positive and comes about by choice, such as going to college or buying a house.

But change is difficult, whether it's a change we decided for ourselves or if it is one that has been forced upon us. 

In this stressful life of change, it is good to have a constant.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  Hebrews 13:8 (NASB)

Even though God sometimes uses different methods to accomplish His work (and who doesn't?), His character and His intentions toward us are always the same.

God is love.

God created humanity out of love, and He interacted with our first parents in a close relationship of love until Adam and Eve committed the first sin against Him.  And from that point on, the actions He took were leading toward the birth, death, and resurrection; a plan that would restore humanity's relationship with Himself. 

God is just. 

Many people, even Christians, are uncomfortable with the Old Testament because of the law and the sacrificial system put in place by God at the time of Moses.  But because God is just, something had to be put in place to manage the sin of the people until Christ came.  Furthermore, the law and sacrificial system revealed to us the badness of sin and the necessity of Christ's sacrifice.

God is merciful. 

Thankfully, along with being just, God is merciful.  The punishment for sin is death - physical and spiritual - but because of His mercy,  our just God took it upon Himself to pay the price.  The death of Jesus upon the cross allowed Him to fulfill two aspects of His character that would otherwise be contradictory - His justice and His mercy.

So even when it seems like everything is changing, remember that God doesn’t change.  We know He is loving, just, and merciful, and we can trust Him to always be that way.  Let Him be the peace in the middle of your storm.