Monday, September 28, 2020 Some material taken from Changes Part 1 by Sam Nobles
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act. Psalm 37:5
Staying or Going?
Change is a part of life. There are changes we want and changes we don’t want. There are changes that make our world a better place and changes that are not for the better. This year we have been through so many changes and, even if some good came from it, we never would have picked these changes on purpose. Changes we don’t pick are a major part of life. No one chooses to grow old, and personally that is a change that I am not embracing! There are certain aspects of this stage of life that are appealing, but not the physical changes that come with age. We never pick the change of losing those we love. We never choose terminal or long-term, debilitating illness. As hard as it all may be, change will bring sanctification into our lives if we let it, bitterness if we don’t.
It is natural to be cautious, and even afraid, in the face of change. The changes that make our whole lives completely different can send us reeling, much like 2020 has. But we cannot let change keep us from living and following God’s lead. We have the stories in the Bible of those whose lives were changed by the actions of others, and God used it for good. He can do the same for us if we are willing. If we are not willing, we can sit in our bitterness over what has happened and lose the rest of our lives. We miss the blessing of what God has around the corner because we freeze right where we are. I think this line from Sam’s sermon yesterday perfectly sums up how a lot of people react to change. We want to have faith, but we let caution call the shots.
Consulting caution. Ignoring faith. Never taking the plunge. Happy to experience life vicariously through others. Preferring to take no risk rather than any risk.
For fear of the worst, they never enjoy life at its best. - Sam Nobles
One of the reasons we are resistant to change is because we like to be comfortable. Change is uncomfortable, inconvenient, and sometimes painful for a while until we adjust, on top of being scary. We can either choose to endure the uncomfortable in exchange for something better or choose to stay the same allowing no growth. God did not create us to live safe, happy, and risk-free lives. We will have all those things but they will only come on the other side of change.
We think that staying the same is easiest, but it is not. Staying the same and resisting the changes that God has planned for us will only make our lives more difficult and without His full blessing and abundance. Accepting the changes in our lives, easy and hard, and stepping out in obedience to Him, will bring us closer to Him because He loves us so much. He cares about us and wants the very best for us. Following in obedience to God is never just about God. Our lives will always be blessed beautifully by obedience.
Lara Cook
