Never Changing

Never Changing 

by David Brenneman 

"What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles."

Romans 9:14-24.

We are not in a position nor has anyone been, to respond to God in anything but a posture of reverence.  We should never, at any point in time, consider ourselves more knowledgeable than the Creator of the Universe.  When the Bible says that Jesus is Lord of all creation, that means over everything, every creature, every single thought of everyone.  

It is very much arrogant presumption to think we have a right to recreate ourselves into our own image.  

We are to submit to the will of God, not send Him marching orders as to what we want Him to accomplish for us.

Many people pray like that's what God is there for.  Many go around in life puffed up in their own eyes treating themselves like they're all that and a slice of bread.  

Realizing who we are before the Holy God is the beginning of setting off on the right foot in the journey of life. 

What's prevalent in our world is people trying to recreate themselves into their own image, being told that they can create their own identity.  Be who you want to be. 

Read in the book of Job when Jesus begins responding to Job and his friends.  

Will the thing created question the Creator and ask why did you do this to me? Or why did you allow this when I prayed for the opposite?  

When we come to Christ it's to begin with His will being done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  His. His alone.  Not His mixed with our personal happiness, wants and desires.  We're told by Jesus up front that this will include people hating us because they have hated Him.

When you're praying...how does it come out from you? Are you spending time with Jesus in the way you ought or the way you want?  We're in training, we're being molded, we're to be doers of the Word.  We're not the one's barking orders, telling the Butler to have done while we're off doing whatever it is that we want. 

The Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Jesus spells out how wisdom and knowledge belong to God.  We must ask of God, who freely gives to all who ask...we need to because our judgment is clouded by our sin nature.  There's nothing clouding the wisdom and knowledge of God.  

It's a heartbreaking sight to watch people doing things to their bodies and lives intentionally that Jesus never desired for them.  

Hate to break it to everyone but all plastic surgeries that have been done, all surgeries to alter bodies in ways that God never designed them to be...will be undone when people receive their glorified bodies.  

When people first stand before Jesus, it's their spirit that stands before Him.  Physically all alterations will not matter.  

The creature will not and does not have any say in the eternal outcome of their bodies.  It's an affront to a Holy God to say that He made a mistake.  That He messed up in creating them.

Our opinion does not matter. 

Our obedience is what's is required.  Our following Jesus in what He says, where we are to go, what we are to do, is what is required. 

What does it profit a man or woman to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his or her soul? What will a man give in exchange for his or her soul?

So keep in mind that He is God and we are not. 

Keep in mind we're at His command, not Him at our command.  We're not here to create ourselves into our own image.  We were created in the image of God.  

All in all human history will bow down before Jesus and declare He is Lord. 

All demons who rebelled will bow down and declare Jesus as Lord. 

Begin your day with asking Jesus what He has in mind for you to be doing.  Yes we're to present our requests unto God...note that it's requests, not demands.  Be ready for a no answer.  Be ready for a yes answer.  Be ready to wait.  Be ready for whatever the Spirit says for you to be doing in regards to what you ask in prayer for or about.  Pray, then, leave it with Jesus and get back to whatever He’s having you do.  Don't begin worrying.  

Our opinions are never going to prove out to be higher, greater, farther, taller, or more profound  than those obtained at the feet of Jesus.

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.