Change is an inevitable part of life. Change will always come to everyone whether they are prepared for it or not. We shouldn’t see change as an enemy because it is a reality of life and necessary for growth and development. The world we live in has undergone many changes in the last ten years in technology. Older gadgets have giving way to newer, better and more efficient ones. Mankind is daily discovering and improving on things that make the world a better place. The only constant in life is change.
To embrace change, we need to realize that life will constantly demand changes from us, and hence we should be willing and ready to make the necessary adjustments when the need to do so arises. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8:22). Different seasons of life call for different adjustments. For instance, warm clothes are needed in winter; spring signifies hope and preparation for summer; summer brings sunlight and vitality, signifying action time; and at fall when the trees begin to shed off their leaves, it may be necessary to take inoculation against flu. Each of these seasons come with demands on mankind to make one adjustment or the other, and such is the reality of life. Below are some truths to consider about embracing change:
Change is God ordained: God doesn’t change (Hebrews 13:8, Malachi 3:6); His love is constant and His faithfulness is sure. However, He initiates changes, and this is why He is called the unchangeable changer. The Bible says He changes times and seasons (Daniel 2:21). And because He causes change to occur, He will sometimes force change on us in order to move us to the next season or level in life. Most often than not, change is required to enter into the next level of our lives.
Change is challenging: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spot? Then may you also do well who are accustomed to do evil" (Jeremiah 13:23). This scriptures point out how difficult it is to change what one has been accustomed to. We should realize, as Christians, that God doesn't want us to change independent of Him. Change is difficult, but it is possible with the help of God.
Change is necessary: If we fail to change, we will stagnate and remain in the rut. A story is told of the Swiss watchmakers who manufactured 65% of watches in the late 1960s, with 90% of the profits in the world market. The time came when the technology of the quartz crystal became the fad, but the Swiss refused to embrace this change and kept sticking to their brand. By the 1980s, Japan had become the largest manufacturer of wristwatches in the world. People lose their territories when they fail to make the necessary changes.
Change is possible with God’s help: Right thinking, right beliefs and right exposure to God via the influence of the Holy Sprit and His Word can make change not as daunting as it appears to be. “Not in your own strength, for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you energizing and creating in you the power and desire both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight” (Philippians 2:13, Amp). For change to be effortless, what is needed is Holy Ghost power and not self will power.
Change should be embraced: Many times, God ordained changes come wrapped up with challenges and seeming setbacks. Abraham was asked by God to leave his family to an unknown place that will be shown to him as he embarks on the journey (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham obeyed, not knowing he was signing up for a glorious future. Today, virtually all world religions acknowledge Abraham as their father. What change has God been demanding from you? Has He been demanding genuine repentance from you? What instructions have been coming to you persistently with little nudges? Obedience to God is signing up for a glorious and unfathomable future (Ephesians 3:20).
Conclusion: Embracing genuine and lasting change is embracing the eternal Word of God wholeheartedly. Jesus Christ is the Word Personified (Revelation 19:11-13).
Ade(Gboyega) ESAN
No comments:
Post a Comment