Change is constant but keep the substance

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” – Genesis 8:22

It has been said that there is only one thing constant in life: CHANGE. From the time one is conceived in the womb, cells divide and multiply as the human embryo develops. Natural, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual features take on different forms as one goes through the successive stages of life development.

Political changes have taken place right before our eyes as nations including USA and Germany have new elected leaders. Economic, political, technological, and social structures do shift and change, sometimes without warning. Just as erratic as the weather patterns, everybody goes through spiritual seasons of life. The roller coaster life experience where the mountain top highs quickly devolve into a dark valley dread confirms exactly that – Change is constant as well as inevitable.

One must embrace that fact and learn to go with the flow by preparing and proacting. Those who refuse to change often end up on the losing end. Former top brands such as Kodak, Nokia, Blackberry, Blockbuster, and Motorola that did not or were too slow to change either went into bankruptcy or were bought by their competitors.

In today’s ever-changing world, the Church ought to remain relevant and effective in communicating the Gospel. Flexibility instead of arrogance is necessary. What may be effective in the past may no longer be effective today. Wisdom is essential.

God and His Word are eternal and are unchangeable. That cannot be said when it comes to forms, methods, structures, and systems. The substance is Christ and it is non-negotiable. However, the form that carries the substance may change. Jesus appeared to the disciples on the road of Emmaus in another form and they didn’t recognize Him. The lesson is that we should be focused on the substance and be flexible with the form.