HE doesn't change...

as i mentioned yesterday we have gone through some major changes in the past few months and that can be frustrating. i know that some of you are really afraid. you are afraid your money is going to run out before you life runs out. you have put your trust in your money. for others it's your health, others your relationships. we cannot put our trust in that which is going to change but on that which is permanent.

listen, i don't know if you realize it or not but GOD's love for you is not going to change.

Malachi 3:6 (ms) God says I am GOD—yes, I am. I haven't changed.

why does GOD never change? it’s because HE’s perfect. and because GOD’s perfect, He can’t get any better. and HE can’t get any worse. if you’re perfect there is no reason to change, because you are perfect.

now in Jeremiah 31:3 (ms) HE says this, I've never quit loving you and never will. expect love, love, and more love!

listen, GOD never gets moody. GOD never has a bad hair day. GOD never gets up on the wrong side of the bed. people never say, “what got into GOD today? HE’s grumpy today. have you noticed that? HE needs to go back to bed. HE stayed up too late last night.” GOD is not moody.

and that is such good news. because while GOD is consistent, i am incredibly inconsistent. the bible teaches that GOD loves me just as much on my good days as HE does on my bad days. HE loves me when i feel it and HE loves me when i don’t feel it. HE loves me when i think i’m close to GOD and doing the right thing and HE loves me when i’m not close to GOD and i’m not doing the right thing. HIS love is not based on my performance. HIS love is based on HIS character. it is consistent. it is continual. it is everlasting.

as you know, this is completely different from human love. human love is quite fickle. we love and then we don’t. we’re hot and then we’re cold. i run into people that say, “my husband isn’t the man i married.” you aren’t either. or they say, "i can’t ever figure out my boyfriend. he likes me one day. he doesn’t the next.” or “my dad is so inconsistent. one day i’m a hero the next day i’m a zero.” i can’t figure it out from day to day.

it is because human love is fickle. and it is conditional. the truth is some days i don’t want to love anybody. some days i’m grumpy. some days i’m grouchy. some days i want to take out my frustration on the people closest to me. this bothers me that sometimes I say the most hurtful things to the people i love the most. why do i do that?

because i’m a human being. my life is inconsistent.

but GOD, on the other hand, is not like us at all. Psalm 119:159 (niv) says,YOUR love never changes.

HIS love never changes. you can count on HIM no matter what happens in the future, GOD is never going to stop loving you.

the point is: we always get into trouble when we doubt GOD’s love. always. i never need to doubt GOD’s love. there are a lot of things i could worry about but i don’t have to worry about that one. no matter how i feel, what i’ve done, what i’ve thought, GOD’s love is based on His character.

that means you can go to bed tonight, confident of the fact that tomorrow morning when you get up GOD is not going to have changed HIS mind about you and while you were sleeping decided, “I don’t think I’m going to love them anymore.” you will never be loved by GOD any more than you are at this very moment. you will never be loved by GOD any less than you are at this very moment. GOD’s love never changes. that is something i can anchor my life into.

just some thoughts up here on bill's front porch....