Did you know you are carrying change with you every day of your life? Reach into your pocket and you will probably find a handful of coins. It is what we call: change. Just as "change in the form of coins" in your pocket - is always with you - so are other kinds of change. In fact, change is very common and it is something that is always with us as a part of our lives in one form or another. As you probably know, the speed of change is always accelerating. Nothing is final. The world changes fast. Think about this: It took 1,750 years after Christ for the world's knowledge to double. By 1900 it had doubled again. By 1950, it doubled again and then again by 1960 it had doubled again. This year there will be more than a hundred million pages of technical papers published, regarding changes.In fact, the current estimate says the world's knowledge doubles every 18 months - or less. Today we can say: the world is changing more rapidly than ever before. A business expert once said: "We're entering an age of acceleration". In fact, because of the explosive power of exponential growth (growth that is rapidly becoming greater in size) the 21st century will be equivalent to 20,000 years of progress at today's rate of progress. Therefore, organizations may have to be ready to redefine themselves at a faster and faster pace than ever before. Today we are told that the only constant is change. But what people don't recognize is that the world itself has changed because the rate of change is always accelerating. In fact, even our world concept of what it means to be human is rapidly changing as we are forced to merge our lives with our new technologies. Since God is the ultimate creator of all, and because "creating" is what God, the Creator does, you can be sure He is always at work -- creating. And, as He creates, there are changes. Therefore, the changes will go on forever. Now, if it is your goal in life to make something change, you must, of course, change something. We, as God's people must therefore make up our minds to also: embrace change. The dictionary says that when something changes "it becomes or is made different." We need to expect change. We live a life of change so -- get used to change. In fact. we should learn to look forward to the changes that will take place in our lives every day. Some people I've met say they hate change. Well, I don't believe them, but that is what they say. My observation is if a person is not changing, that person is in a rut, and is either stagnant or soon will be. Which are you? Are you in a rut? Are you stagnant? Whichever you are, it is time for a change! Why? Because if you will prayerfully examine the changes in your life you will find that all of them - with 20/20 hindsight - were changes for your eventual or ultimate good. They were changes where God -- who knows the future--, revealed things to you that could not have been understood or revealed to you in any other way. It has been said: "A revelation is not a revelation until it is a revelation to me." So, when you see change happen, have faith. Accept it as good and, above all, trust God. Things change. Friendships fade. Money is spent. Glory is forgotten. Power is lost. Seasons change. So do people. Day turns into darkness. Sorrow to joy. Pain is eased. Rules are broken. Promises are forgotten. Trusts betrayed. Love cools. Hate dies. Stars fall. Things change. Life on earth ends. But - God is always God! For me, some of the changes in my life have included: Changes from child to adult. School changes. Navy life changes. My decision to follow Jesus. My mother's death. My college days. My marriage. My business. The birth of our children. My career changes. My wife's death. My re-marriage. The day of the fire in my business. My retirement. My visit to Alaska. And that great expectation of my ultimate change: my life everlasting--with Jesus. Always keep in mind, as Christians; we live in a "Good Friday" world filled with many troubles and much pain. But we are also, in every sense, Easter Sunday people. By that I mean we are people who are expectant and optimistic. We are certain that, in spite of the troubles of the Good Friday kind of life we live each day, we know our personal, individual Easter Sunday is coming! It will be a day when our great expectations are made real. A time when we will be transformed and made over as we flow into our new, eternal life with Jesus our Lord. So, the next time you look at the change, all of those coins you carry around in your pocket, let them remind you to take to heart the wisdom of the words inscribed on those coins: "In God we trust." In this way you can accept and welcome the idea that -- change is the only constant. Terry Weber
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