Day 3: Always the same

We live in a changing world. The only thing that doesn’t change is that everything is changing. This is even more so today than a century or two ago. Then, too, people lived in a changing world, but things were not changing as fast as they are now.

Your own life is continually changing, too. You’re getting older (every year a little bit more), and hopefully wiser. Your family changes. You become unemployed or sick, or you move from one place to another. Your church is changing as well. Sometimes, you feel as if you are a stranger within your own church either because of the increasing older generation or the growing young generation.

No matter how dynamic you may be (perhaps you are enjoying all these changes and more very much because changes keep life exciting), we all ultimately seek a resting point, a place where we can catch our breath because it offers you so much stability and certainty.

Read what the Bible says in Hebrews 13:8 against this background: “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, and today and forever.” Jesus Christ is always the same. He is the Eternal Faithful One in the midst of a world in a state of constant flux.

Isn’t it rather boring and monotonous to always be the same? Isn’t it boring and monotonous to believe in a Son of God who never changes? Wouldn’t you get tired of believing in such a Christ? Not at all! On the contrary, the unchangeable Christ always surprises you with his multi-colored personality and ministry. May I explain this to you by using the following biblical portrait of God’s Son?

Before the sun, moon and stars existed, Jesus Christ already loved people like you and me with an eternal love. He was there when those life-giving words echoed through the universe: “Let there be light!” He is the One Job referred to when he shouted: “I know that my Redeemer lives!” He is the One about whom Isaiah prophesied: “Surely, he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.”

Jesus Christ is the One who was born in a stable. He looked like his earthly mother and yet infinitely more like his heavenly Father. He worked as a carpenter in Nazareth. ‘For He emptied himself and took the form of servant, and was born in the likeness of men.”

This Jesus, who is the same, yesterday, and today and forever, amazed people when He enabled the blind to see and the lame to walk. His words were full of power and authority. “Follow Me!” He would say, and people followed Him. He did not come for the righteous, but for sinners. He washed the feet of his disciples, something we would turn up our nose at.

This Jesus Christ, who is the same, yesterday, and today and forever, gave his life for our sins on a shameful wooden cross on Golgotha. This Jesus is the One who said: “I no longer call you servants, but I call you my friends.” This Christ who is always the same is still the One who comes for sinners and not for the righteous. His blood has eternal value and his Spirit is just as present today as He was when He was poured out on the day of Pentecost. This Jesus who is always the same still says today: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Preaching his Name is still a smell of death for some and an aroma of life to others.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today and forever. He knocks on the door of our life because He wants to come in. Those uplifted hands He blessed his disciples with when He ascended into heaven, hands that had been nailed to the cross, these blessing hands are still always around us today. He is King in heaven, seated at the right hand of his Father, while at the same time He is Lord of our hearts when we surrender our lives to Him.

Jesus Christ is God’s mystery. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him. He is the Light of the world. He is the Fountain of living water. He is the bright Morning Star. He is God’s All. He will return upon the clouds of heaven on a day predetermined by God. He longs to meet all God’s children for whom He lived, died and arose on a new earth and in a new heaven because He loves us with the same love He loved us with before the sun, moon and stars existed.

Would you get tired of believing in such an unchanging Christ? Wouldn’t you be able to find a lot of stability and certainty with this Jesus in the midst of everything that is continually changing? I do (at least, some of the time). I love to surrender myself to a Christ who never changes and is still so surprisingly different than I thought He was. How about you?

Doing
The Biblical portrait I painted in this chapter is far from perfect. There is so much more to say about the eternally unchanging Christ. What would you include in this portrait?

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

Praying
Lord Jesus Christ, how enormously great and exceedingly beautiful you are! How can I ever get tired of You? Thank You that You are eternally the same and that I can find stability, rest and security with You while everything around me and I myself are constantly changing. Truly, you really are a Rock in the breakers! Amen.