Change is hard to deal with. Most of us don't like change. We need something solid and unchanging to give us hope through all the change in the world - and we can find this in one place only: in God who does not change.
Look at what James writes to the early Christians: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)
The Unchanging God in a Shifting World
The world changes. Situations change. We change. But God remains the same. We worship Him for this.
John Piper said it this way, in his book Hunger for God: "We will only maintain our stability and unshakable confidence if we keep our focus on the unchanging God and take every rising or receding tide as a work of infinite wisdom for the accomplishment of God's holy purposes."
Amen to that. Whatever changes come your way - keep your focus on the unchanging God! Keep your trust in Him! Keep your love for Him! He never changes.
Jesus: Your Constant Touchstone
The story is told of a painter of landscape scenes who always kept a number of precious stones in front of him on his easel - emerald, sapphire, ruby. Somebody asked him why, and he replied, "To help me keep my colours true. Over time, without some constant reference, my eye starts to lose its perception of colours, and the colours I choose may not be right, may not be what they once were."
With all the change in the world, and with our own changing abilities and perceptions, we need something constant. We need a touchstone that doesn't change - something we can always go back to, to be reminded of what is real, what is true, what is wonderful, what is trustworthy.
Jesus is that touchstone! The writer to the Hebrews says: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
Do you set Jesus before you, like that painter did with his precious stones? Do you dive into this book that reveals His glory - daily, hourly - to hold onto the one constant in this life? Is He your hope in this changing world?
You can deal with this changing world, my friends. You can handle the changes that happen all around you in your circumstances. You can deal with your own changing body, your own changing moods and feelings - if you will keep your eyes fixed on the unchanging God, day by day by day, and trust Him with all you've got.
Paul reminds Timothy that we don't pursue spiritual health to earn God's approval, but because Christ has already saved us.