An Ever-Changing God
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2
The other day, I wrote on the topic of embracing change. I noted that the world around us is ever changing. We have heard that expressed numerous times in work and at home. At my household, there are growing grandchildren who seemingly change each time they visit, and then the needs of my wife and I’s children change as we offer guidance even as some of them are now older than when my wife and I got married. Another thing that I have noticed is that how much has changed in my understanding of who God is. The sermon at church this week focused on the idea of not falling into the trap of comparisons. It reassured me knowing who I was to God, and when we know who we are to Him, we are never chasing to be something society says we are not. We are always focused on how God loves us as we are, and any change we do is not for what others want. Instead, it is God inspired and never for acceptance. It is because we love God and others as we do ourselves. Is it any wonder how this led me to reflect on the topic of God and change?
Our understanding of God is ever changing. Today’s verse is often used to focus on how God transforms us when we give our life to Jesus Christ as spoken in John 3:3 (I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God). Does God ever change? The answer is of course ‘no’ for Malachi 3:6a says, “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” So, those of you who thought I had lost my mind can relax now 😊 His words, like He, are also never changing. Yet, while we have heard sermons and prophets for thousands of years, we are still learning about who God is.
Each of us as individual followers of Jesus Christ have a unique perspective on who He is, and while each may be different, most can be perfectly correct. Osobo Otaigbe, who authored a book called ‘Building Cultural Intelligence in Church and Ministry,’ shared a story of an anthropologist named Mark Powell. I have used this before in other devotions, but I felt it necessary to give a bit more detail to make a point. When asked about why the prodigal son ended up in the pigsty, answers differed significantly by culture:
The majority view of Americans was that the prodigal son ended up in the pigsty because he squandered his money.
The majority view of Russians interviewed was that it was because of a famine.
The majority view of Tanzanians was that it was because no one helped him out.
He noted that one culture focused on the Individual, one on the Community, and one on Fate. Most importantly, they all are correct. God wants us to understand Him fully, and thus, by seeing all aspects of the story, we get a greater understanding of who God is. This wisdom ‘changes’ our minds and hearts. That is at the heart of today’s verse, and hopefully, you gained greater perspective on this as well.
Isn’t God amazing? He gives us an opportunity every day to gain greater knowledge of who He is and what His will is for our lives. While it is particularly important to be solidified and strengthened by His word, we must always be open to the depth of understanding what it says. That is how we move from a Christian who might see someone who lost all their money to one who lifts others like the Good Samaritan and helps. Marcus Buckingham once said that the myth is that as we grow, we change. The truth is as we grow, we become more of who we really are. In that same spirit, let our knowledge of God grow such that we understand who He really is. Who can you reach out to give you an unfamiliar perspective of God’s will? How can you be more intentional to widen understanding of who God is? My prayer is we allow God to pour His Spirit into us and fill us with His wisdom to both inspire and embrace an ‘ever-changing’ God. Amen.