Verse of the Day 8/22

Verse of the Day 8/22

Malachi 3:6-7

New King James Version

6 "For I am the Lord, I do not change;

Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
7 Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,"
Says the Lord of hosts.
"But you said,
'In what way shall we return?'

I read today's verses in a devotional the other day and they have been on my mind since then,  When was the last time you stepped back and thought about God being the same, unchanging, day after day, year after year?  What are the remaifications of that for us.

We live in a world of change and it seems like things are changing at "warp speed".  But God knows of all these changes, He knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts.  He knows what we are thinking, He knows our plans before we put them into motion.  He is not waiting for us new ways of finding Him, He is always there.  If we truly are interested in finding Him, we don't have to create new ways.  He says "return to me and I will return to you".

David Jeremiah writes, "We're like twigs caught in an ever-rolling stream of change. Every moment is different than the previous one. Our bodies change, our children change, our work changes, our health and wealth change; our culture and world are constantly in flux. But at the core of the universe is an unchanging God—immutable, enduring, abiding, changeless, the same yesterday, today, and forever. In Him we have "an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast" (Hebrews 6:19)."

We may struggle with change, but the best way to cope, the best way to overcome and not be overcome is to return to the One who is unchanging.

A line from an old hymn comes to mind, "He is faithful changing never" .  Read the rest of the words of "Praise the Savior Ye Who Know Him, 

1 Praise the Savior, ye who know Him!
Who can tell how much we owe Him?
Gladly let us render to Him
all we are and have.

2 Jesus is the name that charms us;
He for conflict fits and arms us;
nothing moves and nothing harms us
while we trust in Him.

3 Trust in Him, ye saints, forever;
He is faithful, changing never;
neither force nor guile can sever
those He loves from Him.

4 Keep us, Lord, O keep us cleaving
to Thyself, and still believing,
till the hour of our receiving
promised joys with Thee.

May that 4st stanza be our prayer today.

Blessings,

Mike

Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

Malachi 3:1-7

New King James Version

The Coming Messenger

3 "Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,"
Says the Lord of hosts.

2 "But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner's fire
And like launderers' soap.
3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver;
He will purify the sons of Levi,
And [a]purge them as gold and silver,
That they may offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness.

4 "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
Will be [b]pleasant to the Lord,
As in the days of old,
As in former years.
5 And I will come near you for judgment;
I will be a swift witness
Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers,
Against perjurers,
Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,
And against those who turn away an alien—
Because they do not fear Me,"
Says the Lord of hosts.

6 "For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
7 Yet from the days of your fathers
You have gone away from My ordinances
And have not kept them.
Return to Me, and I will return to you,"
Says the Lord of hosts.
"But you said,
'In what way shall we return?'