I the Lord do not change. (Mal. 3:6)
Everybody likes change. You may love fried chicken, but would you want fried chicken every day—nothing but fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans day after day? No, we like roast beef, ham, and turkey, and we like other vegetables besides green beans.
On the other hand, everybody dislikes change. Why do they change the packaging on my favorite product? Now I can’t find it on the shelf. Why did they change the style of my favorite sweater? Now the old one is worn out, and I want to replace it with one that looks the same and fits me just the same. I found it in a different brand, but it doesn’t fit the same way.
I bring up the idea of change, because God said through Malachi, “I the Lord do not change.” What a comforting thought! Who God was, he still is. What he loved, he still loves. What he condemned, he still condemns.
His righteousness has not changed. What he called sin, he still calls sin. Yet, his mercy has not changed either. Earlier this week, we read the passage in which God invited Israel to return to him. If they would repent, they could be restored to his favor. God is still like that.
In the midst of a rapidly changing culture, how comforting to know God does not change.
Give praise to God for his consistency, that he does not change.
Ron McClung is a retired minister in The Wesleyan Church. He and his wife, Carol, live in Michigan and enjoy spending time with their sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
