WHAT IS CERTAIN AND WHAT IS NOT?

Lately, there are fewer and fewer constants that we can rely on and be sure of. Many freedoms and options seemed very normal to us, and we did not think we could ever lose them, until recently. We don't even realize how much we value what we have, until after we lose it and if we don't see the truth about what is going on around us, we can become discouraged and depressed. What are the constants that do not change, regardless of the circumstances, the time we live in, or of what is going on in the whole world?
 
The most valuable assurance is that God is alive and never changes. God is perfect and does not need to become better in absolutely any way. The Lord is the truth and He can never lie (Numbers 23:19). God is holy, faithful, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, good, sovereign, kind, loving and even more. We can be sure that He loves each of us, knows everything about us, keeps His promises, can do more than we ask or think, has the best solutions to our problems, He is never too early or too late and He never leaves or forsakes us. All these are constants, and we can be sure that they never change.
 

• Malachi 3:6a “For I am the Lord, I do not change;…”

 

• James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 

 
On the other hand, everything related to our human nature is variable, as are the characteristics of the world we live in. We rejoice when bad things do not last forever and we grieve when what we like suddenly ends. Human nature is changeable and what we like now, we may not like later, and what we want today, tomorrow may be something we want to get rid of. Thank God that when Jesus ascended to heaven, the Lord did not leave us alone! He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell each of us to whom Jesus is Lord, to guide and teach us, so that we may enjoy how reliable and consistent the Lord and everything about Him is.
 
No matter what we go through, let us never forget that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) and because He is the Lord of our lives, He will help us get through all the storms of life.
 
The following verse teaches us a very useful truth, even if we would prefer that it would only partially apply in our lives. We would prefer that the part about suffering, which is referred to as something normal, to not be there, but it is an inherent aspect of life in this fallen world.
 

• 1 Peter 5:10 (AMP) After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself complete, confirm, strengthen, and establish you [making you what you ought to be]. 

 
God shows us mercy, compassion, and goodness, without deserving any of it, if Jesus is our Lord. After realizing that only with the help of the Lord we can face the challenges and pains of this life and trust that He is with us in the good and bad times, God will change and complete us to become what He intended us to be. Only the Lord can equip, strengthen and establish us to be able to live for Him.
 
Unfortunately, none of us can become what God wants us to be without suffering. It is certain that everyone suffers in this life. But it is also true that all of us who love Jesus Christ and keep His commandments (John 14:21, 23), are helped by God while suffering and will spend our eternity in the most wonderful place with our Lord.  The apostle Paul rightly emphasized that it is worth it to suffer here, in order to live for Christ and as a result, spend our eternity in God’s glory.
 

• Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

 
We can rely on God’s goodness, faithfulness, grace and love, even if, when it is hard for us, the enemy tries to convince us that God has forsaken us and no longer loves us. In this world we are tested by various trials, which the Lord uses to help us become what He wants us to be. Everything the Lord wants for us is wonderful, perfect, and desirable. The One who gave His Son to die in our place, so that we can spend our eternity with Him, loves us unconditionally and gives us the chance to live for Him until the end.
 
 
Carmen Pușcaș

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