Preparing for 2012

 

    One of the constants in modern life is change. The rapid pace of change in every dimension of life causes stress and anxiety for many people. Change is often viewed as an enemy in life. When we resist change and avoid it, we only postpone the inevitable. Change waits for no one because it is a harbinger and guide into the future. Change is not an enemy, its a friend, calling you into the future.

    When we resist change we ignore the spiritual realities of life. At the center of the universe is a spiritual being.... God. God has created not a static universe but an ever expanding reality. You can't bottle up time...it marches on and only those who embrace change are in step with where history is taking us. When we ignore spiritual reality and don't relate to our creator in relationship, we get disconnected from both who he is and where he is taking us.

  People with a real and dynamic faith should  not only embrace change.... we need to anticipate it and plan for it. Learning to adapt and embrace change becomes easier when we know both the plan and person of God. Yes, God has a plan and history is not meant to be a random series of events. God tells us plainly in Romans 8: 28, 29, "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."

  There is a purpose and more importantly a divine person behind the events of history and in our present day reality. When you are in relationship with God by the Holy Spirit you can hear a voice and discern a presence to the change that comes into your world daily. You are not meant to have a sacred/secular division in your life. Everything and everyone that comes into a believers life has significance from God's point of view. The last thing we need to be doing as people of faith is hiding in Bible studies or church ghettoes from the realities of every day life. Truth not juxtaposed into the middle of everyday challenges quickly devolves into fantasy and myth. The world is waiting for men and women of real faith who walk with God in the midst of rapid and seemingly unpredictable change.

  God wants to breathe into you and me an expectation and an excitement about the change that is upon us. When your faith is a real and vibrant trust in a living God, you are not a victim of circumstance or change. You are an active participant in God's plan for your life. When you get your direction and guidance from the author and finisher of life's great reality, you can have confidence and faith in the future instead of fear and hopelessness.

  Remember, change is not your enemy, it's the voice of a friend.... your God and creator, calling you into a future prepared for you before the foundation of the world!

Jim