What Never Changes

Embracing the Eternal Amidst Change

By Toby Crowder

Mitchell County

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” – Hebrews 13:8

The story is told about a man from far back in our mountains who years ago found himself in a large city and for the first time standing outside an elevator. He watched as an elderly woman hobbled on, and the doors closed. A few minutes later the doors opened again, and a young, attractive woman stepped out, hurrying to her next appointment. The father called to his youngest son …”Billy, go get your mother.”

We can all laugh at this but let’s face it… change is hard. Change is constant. Change is challenging. I could probably fill my entire space here with similar statements about change, and it would resonate with most of the people who read this. I am not a fan of change, and I do not feel that I am alone. Many of us resist change and struggle against it without even realizing that we do.  We weep for change and “what used to be.” Usually, change is dreaded and resisted, other times it is welcomed and anticipated. One writer said it perfectly in the line of a song when she said, “Tomorrow is uncertain as today was yesterday.”

The needs of man do not change, but our “wants” certainly do! We all need love, food, shelter, and necessities such as clothing. Beyond this, most of us desire things that will make our lives easier or more comfortable. Each generation is an advanced one over the one before it and there is much change for which we can be thankful. I didn’t ride a horse or a buggy to work this morning, because, with the help of science and industry, change has brought us the automobile. I can convey this article to a much larger audience with the help of technology than I would if I were writing it with paper and a pen.  I could go on and on, but you get the basic idea. We are in a world that is constantly changing.

I thank God for this simple little eleven-word reminder in the book of Hebrews. The plain and simple reminder that He is unchanging! In every century His Name is universal because He never changes. He is the God of your yesterdays; He is the God of today and tomorrow. In Rev 1:8 He says, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End.” And Mal 3:6 declares “For I am the Lord; I change not.” That word change means to fold in half or duplicate. He may use different methods to meet changing conditions, but HE never changes and is not duplicated.

Here, in one short verse, we are reminded that He is the One of eternity past, who formed all creation, yet He is the same One in charge of our tomorrows! I have read that a cloud one cubic mile in size has an estimated weight of 3.5 million pounds, yet it hangs suspended in the sky at His Word. I have read that a bolt of lightning has the force and speed to circle our globe eight times in one second, yet this is the same One who comes to us in our darkness and is a very present help in times of trouble. May I remind you that the same One who clothed Adam and Eve, who provided for Elijah, who delivered Daniel, that was the subject of David’s Song, and that called Lazarus from the tomb is the SAME One who we cry out to in prayer!

The opinion of man is constantly changing, but since God does not change, neither does His Word nor His thoughts. If it was wrong in God’s Word, then it’s still wrong today. If it was right for God’s people two thousand years ago, then it is still right today. Textbooks are revised, updated, and eventually rendered obsolete with time, yet Psalm 119:89 declares “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in Heaven.”

In this world of constant change, aren’t you thankful for the privilege of holding the hand of the one who never changes? May we boldly proclaim with the writer of Hebrews: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever!”

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Toby Crowder serves as Pastor of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Spruce Pine. He and his wife Leslie have been married for almost 30 years and have two daughters, Emilee, and Katy. Feel free to contact him at MCfamilyforChrist.org or mtcarmelsprucepine@gmail.com

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Read more from Toby Crowder here.