GOD AS OUR MODEL OF FAITHFULNESS
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)
Years ago, I was at church, and the people in the church said, We want to bring change and reach more people. When we started making changes, I learned a fundamental lesson. Even though people say they want to change, most of us don’t like change unless we’re making it. In a world that’s constantly evolving and hard to understand, I take great comfort in the truth that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. We might not understand everything about God or even some of His commands. However, we rest knowing that He won’t change His mind tomorrow. God is stable. God is steady. He doesn’t evolve because He’s already perfect. He’s full of wisdom and love, and that will never change.
John Piper has this to say about Jesus being the same yesterday, today and forever:
Yesterday: It is crucial that Jesus Christ be the same yesterday as He is today because yesterday is when Jesus Christ showed us in history what He is really like.
Today: It is crucial that Jesus Christ be the same today as He was yesterday because today is when we have fellowship with Him and relate to Him as the person we know.
Tomorrow: It is crucial that Jesus Christ be the same tomorrow as He was yesterday and today because all our hope for everlasting joy hangs ultimately on Him.
Jesus is our model of faithfulness. It would be difficult to follow and trust Him if He were inconsistent or constantly prone to change. The fact that He never changes helps us fully surrender to Him and allows the Spirit to transform us. Everything Jesus is calling us to do, He has already done. His invitation is to live like Him. Faith isn’t about our faithfulness to God. It’s about His faithfulness to us. We’ve never been fully faithful to God. If we base our faith on our perfect performance, we’ll become discouraged and give up. Instead, our faith is built on Jesus’ faithfulness to us. This allows the Spirit of God to conform and grow us daily to more faithfulness. It’s not willpower or spiritual adrenaline. It’s the Spirit of God making us more like Jesus each and every day. Rest in the comfort that Jesus is our model for faithfulness. He will always be the same yesterday, today and forever. Thank you, Jesus, that your faithfulness is what changes us.
APPLICATION: Today, reflect on His faithfulness to you.
PRAYER: Thank God for His faithfulness to you. Reflect on how God has been faithful in your past and present. Pray that this will allow you to fully trust Him in whatever you face.