Jan 9 Devotion: The Question of Change

Proverbs 24:21-22 “(21) My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: (22) For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?”

 If you haven’t figured out by now, I love the book of Proverbs. In these verses we can find much wisdom on a couple of topics. First, it is always the will of the Lord for us to fear and reverence Him, as well as those that have the rule over us. Second, we also find that we should avoid entanglements with those who constantly look for change. The latter contains the thought for today’s devotion.

 Verse 22 makes it clear that those whom are given to change will experience sudden calamity. The world is incessantly pushing for change, the newest trend, and living on the cutting edge. That mindset has filtered into churches as well as we can see countless congregations pushing for modern approaches to serving the Lord. Yet, such individuals do not realize that much change results in being unstable; consider the classic game “Jenga.” If you are given to constant change it is the same as reallocating the blocks in Jenga. You assess that you don’t need all the blocks on the bottom; then you begin moving those blocks from the bottom to the top in an attempt to reach high and higher. The problem with perpetual change is that each individual change weakens your foundation. And just as our text says, one day you will go to remove a single block and sudden calamity will cause the entire tower to collapse.

 The reason that many Christians have had their spirituality crash to the table is because of their persistent desire for change. Thus today’s devotion is “The Question of Change.” Why is perpetual change a bad thing? When does God approve of change? What sort of thing should never change? Hopefully, I can satisfy those questions today:

 1) Why is perpetual change bad? – Those given to change often overlook the maintenance of the things that came before. We only have so many hours in a day and can only focus on so few things with the time we have. People looking for change are also unsatisfied with their current status quo, they seek for the best and newest way to do things. I remind you of the beginning of our text “… fear thou the LORD …” The constant desire for change in a Christian is proof that your spirituality is failing and it is arrogant to assume that by trying something new you can solve your problem. The solution is not in something new but reverencing the God that redeemed your soul and submitting your life to Him.

 2) When does God approve of change? – The Scriptures are very clear that we should return to the old paths, that we should restore that which was neglected, and we should stick by the stuff. God is never in favor of a change that contradicts the doctrines of the word of God. God never sanctions changes that result in the Lord no longer having the preeminence in His sanctuary or the heart of the believer. The only changes that God approves of are changes that reflect our obedience to Him. Take Jonah as an example: Did Jonah receive a new doctrine in the belly of the fish; did he come up with a new way to draw the masses to attend his preaching; did he develop a new philosophy to reach the people of Nineveh? The answer to all of those questions is, of course, no. God wanted to change Jonah’s location (sending him to a new city) and subsequently his outlook (his unwillingness to go to Nineveh). Throughout the Bible God only sanctions changes that keep us in the Perfect Will of God.

 3) What sort of things should never change? – God may approve of a new ministry, a new mission work, a new outreach, or any number of things. God has seen fit to supply new preachers, new churches and new Christians throughout the centuries. Yet, God is still the same yesterday, today and forever. His ways change not. His Word is forever settled in Heaven. The types of changes forbidden by God are those that contradict the methods that were established by God himself. Man did not complete the tower of Babel and reach the throne of God, nor has a man ever created anything of his own that God has ordained as acceptable to serve Him. We are exhorted by Paul to earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Who delivered that faith? God himself. God was the one who penned the way of salvation before the foundation of the earth, the one who hand delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses, the one who called the apostles, the one that called John up to the third Heaven and revealed thing to come. God established this way called straight, and any change to the Father’s business, the way He instructed his Children to live, or the Holy Commission of His Church is to be strictly prohibited.

 God may change your dwelling, your direction, or your witnessing demographic but he will never change what He gave to mankind as a guide to walking daily in righteousness. His ways are above our ways and a person who fears the Lord knows that. If we wish to change the way God tells us to live then we have a problem in our heart when it comes to reverencing the Most Holy God Jehovah. If God tells you to make a change, make such an act without delay. But if there is a desire to always improve upon the things that belong to God, that desire was birthed in your heart and mind by Satan. Contend for the faith, stick to the old path, and stay on the way called straight because we can never improve of those things which God gave for those that desire to seek his face and walk after him.

 Your fellowservant in Christ, Bro. Jordan Foster