Eternally Trustworthy

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

This month the Baptist church near my home has this on their message board: “Autumn Leaves. Jesus doesn’t.”  I’ve discovered that this phrase has influenced many different types of craft ideas. I confess I hadn’t heard this phrase before I saw the message board. In any case I thought it would be a topic for a devotional.

 The fall season ushers in several very noticeable changes. Temperatures drop a bit. The fall winds cut a little more briskly, and of course, in our neck of the woods, the leaves change color and drop off creating another seasonal task of clean-up to tackle. I must confess that I don’t enjoy the raking, grinding, and bagging as much as I did when the kids could first play in the piles of leaves I created.

This seasonal change serves to remind us that in life we expect to encounter any number of changes. As we go about our days and weeks, things happen to change our lives. The world seems different almost every day. Sometimes the changes we experience can be for the good and sometimes not. And sometimes the changes impact us in ways we may not have imagined.

Like the leaves leaving the tree branches, so will people and situations in our lives change. But one thing is forever sure – Jesus is in the midst of it all.  This Lord we read about in scriptures is the same Lord that lives in us today. This is the Jesus that healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and made the lame walk again. This is the same Jesus Who leads us, guides us, and directs us today. He has not changed one bit. He’ll never leave our side, never leave us even for a season. He is the same yesterday, same today, and will be the same forever. He will not revoke His offer of unconditional love and grace. No matter the direction of this world, Jesus is the anchor that keeps us safe until its end.

Considering this wonderful truth, visit the four gospels where Jesus is so vividly portrayed. What Jesus said and did in those four gospels is exactly what He is saying and doing now.

Thank You, Father, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thank You that Your goodness and grace toward us is unchanging and unchangeable. Thank You for the many precious promises contained in the Word, especially the promise of our Savior, Jesus Christ. In His Holy Name we pray, AMEN.

 God's Not Dead

Rick Phillips