Living The Life

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant in life.” That is so true and as we said before, Scripture affirms to us in Isaiah 65:17 that God declares-

“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”

Change is acknowledged in the Bible and often warns against conforming to fleeting worldly trends. 1 John 2:17 says,

“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

It is easy to see that change is a constant and something we have to deal with as people. Having lived a pretty full life, I have seen and experienced a lot of change. I often use the Farmer’s Insurance commercial when he says “we know a few things because we’ve seen a few things”. I know a few things because I’ve seen a few things.

We are in our old home town this week. Our daughter and her family are at the beach. As a sidebar, just spoke to our son-in-law on FaceTime and it is getting ready to rain there at the beach. Ah, poetic justice. Now before you say why are they there and you’re at their house. Let me add the parenthetical; taking care of their 4 Siberian Huskies, Bowzer, Simba, Yogi and Charlie. Now that is probably much more than you wanted, but I thought it would help set the picture in your mind.

As we have been out and about, we have seen housing where orange trees used to grow, and where cows grazed and crossed the road everyday to go from one pasture to another.

The property my sister and I grew up on is now a subdivision. I used to go squirrel hunting in the woods and played football in the pasture. The pasture which was across the street is now a housing development. It is where I could walk for 2 miles from town to our house and never see a car. Now you can’t even walk down that road for fear of being hit by one of the hundreds that pass in just a manner of minutes.

It is easy for any of us to look around and see the change around us. Change is good but change can also be very bad. Change for the sake of change is probably not in any one’s best interest.

Sometimes though change is inevitable and happens because the things that preceded the change are no longer. I run into this when I go as the Interim Pastor of a church. The previous pastor has left for some reason and they are facing change. Every situation is different but they all include change. It just won’t be the same as it was before. There is nothing wrong with that but the change can be if it is not what God plans.

Let me be clear here, God has a plan. When God’s plan is fulfilled the glory of God is revealed and apparent. Too often I have seen, and you probably have to that the plan of God was hijacked. That is right, I said hijacked. When people fail to seek and thus follow God and His plans in order to satisfy their own desires, they have highjacked God’s plan. Thus, the plan and will of God cannot be accomplished. The result can be nothing more than the whim of a person or persons. No longer God but the failure of man.

One of the hardest things a pastor does is communicate God’s plan and vision to God’s people. We walk a tight rope of accusation of doing what we want to do. I know I have had that said of me. I can tell you that there was never anything or anytime in my years as a pastor in various churches that I did what I wanted to do. It was always the vision God gave me as to the direction to go, communicated to His people in order to accomplish His will. Remember when Jesus taught the disciples to pray? It was to pray God’s will be done. When Jesus was in the garden the night He was betrayed, He prayed as seen in Matthew 26:39-

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Ours is to always, in everything, every time, to see the will of God done. In our personal, professional, family, and church live’s that the will of God be done. Not my will Lord, but Your will be done. As much as I and probably you would desire to say that always happens, we would be remiss. Bottom line is we all fail, people, pastors, churches, you name it and we fail. I mean think about it, failure may not be the option but it is an inevitable part of life. A major league batter is considered successful if he averages .333 for the season. That is only 3 hits out of a 10 at bats. He may even do a little better and one day end up in the Hall of Fame.

Change and failure have a lot in common when you think about it a little bit. God is into change and from His perspective failure is not an option. The change God wants is our bending our will to His. We see change and get in the middle of it. If we are not careful and preseptive of why the change and from who it comes, we fail to accomplish His plan. All goes awry and failure is all that can be accomplished. I know I have seen this time and again.

I wrote about King David last week in a blog entitled “Sin”. David was living in those moments in His will and and not the will of God. Although David is said to have been a man after God’s own heart. So if a David can fail, why can’t we? Well, we do and we know it. Like David we need to ask God to forgive us and as a matter of fact there is a promise in God’s Word on that very subject. 1 John 1:9 KJV tells us-

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Remember failure is not an option from God’s perspective, and so He makes a way when there seems to be no way. Living the life is a hard thing to do. It is immeasurably difficult and even more so when we fail to yield to Him in all things.

Jesus had it so right as He taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-10 ESV-

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

So trust Him and follow His direction and word. Go out today and live in this wonderful world we have here in anticipation of the one that is to come. Think about it, if this one is so wonderful what is the next one going to be like?

In God’s Grace,

Elbert Nasworthy