Steadfast and Driven

We've read that God's love for us never changes, but how can we remember this through the hard times of life?

This life is constantly changing. Things change every day. Some of these changes can be for the good, while others seem more like bad changes. Let's take one of my favorite sports into thought for a minute - golf. The rules of golf change almost every year. I remember a few years ago, one of the biggest changes was the height you drop the ball from when it goes out of bounds - it used to be from a shoulder height, now we're allowed to drop it from a knee's height. I don't know why the rule was changed or how it really effects the game, but I remember a lot of people were thinking that the change was absolutely ridiculous. Now, people do it without even giving it a second thought. There are so many things that change day to day that we don't even think about - for instance, did you eat the exact same meals today as you did yesterday?

Although our lives are always changing, I know one thing that never changes - God. It's so amazing to think about how long He has been in existence, and yet He has never changed. He is still all-powerful, omnipresent, and in control. This leads me to wonder, though. Why do we fear that God will reject us or stop loving us when we commit certain sins when we know His love for us will never change? Yes, it's true that God loves us very much, and that love He has for us will never change. He loves us so much that he sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins so that we can join Him in heaven one day. That love He had for us then has not changed one bit. So why do we worry that it will?

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." Hebrews 13:8

I think we worry that God's love for us will waiver or change when we're focusing too much on our imperfections. The truth is that nobody is perfect. We can try all we want, but it just isn't humanly possible. The only person that is capable of being perfect is God, and that's just a fact that we need to accept. In reality, whether we've had a perfect day or an absolutely terrible one God's love for us is still the same. The verse above is one that we share with the children just about every year at a vacation Bible school that I volunteer at. It's a wonderful reminder to me every year during that week. I admit, it's hard sometimes for me to remember that God's view of me doesn't change no matter what's happening in my life. This verse tells me that no matter what's going on, God is still the same.

One person from the Bible that has always amazed me is Job. Satan did so much to him and took so much away from him, but he kept his faith in God. Everyone around Job was telling him to stop believing in God because of everything that He was letting happen to Job, but he didn't listen to them. He believed that his God was the same and still faithful. He knew that God would carry him through that season in his life. Job ended up being blessed with twice of what he had before all of this happened. Everyone around Job believed that God was allowing all of this horrible stuff to just happen to him. They thought that, somehow, God wasn't being loving towards him anymore. Job pressed on, and he believed that God would come through in the end. He knew that God's love for him and protection over him had not changed.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;" Lamentations 3:22 (ESV)

Life isn't always going to be convenient, there will be days that are harder than others. I recently have taken a liking to a song that plays on K-Love and the bridge of the song actually is the Bible verse I've featured. I'll be honest - I just discovered this verse while looking for another verse to add into this blog - and when I saw this one, I knew I had to include it. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. I absolutely love this line! According to the Oxford Dictionary, steadfast can be defined as resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering. Some synonyms listed are loyal, faithful, devoted, dedicated, and committed. This love, steadfast love, never ceases. It never changes. God's love for us is always steadfast, and it always will be.

When you find yourself worrying that God's love for you might change because of something that you've done, I want you to think of Lamentations 3:22. Think of what steadfast love really means and what some of the synonyms are. Better yet, hop on the internet and search steadfast for yourself. Find a few of your favorite synonyms, write them down, and hang them somewhere you look often. Even write them down on your phone. Use these as reminders for yourself - reminders of what God's love really is and that it will never cease. I'm going to do the same because I know I can definitely use a reminder like that. God is the same, He will always love us the same, and His steadfast love will never cease.