Immutable

Immutable is the theological word for unchanging. When applied to God, it means that He is not changeable. What are the consequences of that characteristic?

His character does not change, does not alter, and is not swayed by external events.

When He said, "I AM WHO I AM," He was declaring this:

His activity does not change, is not alterable.

Whatever He sets out to accomplish, and in whatever sphere, from eternity to eternity, He will accomplish.

Whatever His Word states--either Incarnate or in Scripture--is settled. This means that whatever He revealed to Moses, Paul, and others meant what it said.

For those who know Him as Lord and Savior, Father and Teacher, this is of great comfort. For those who know Him as implacable Judge, this is of great terror. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians:  "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10; NAS).

Because the Word became flesh, those who are outside, who face Him as implacable Judge, there is hope: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21; NAS).

Paul, in Romans10:8-13, states: "But what does it say? THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART--that is the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scriptures say, 'WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, for 'WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.'" (NAS)

One Thing: A Call to Focus

We are pulled in so many directions, no matter how old we are or what our occupations may be. Certain passages recently brought my attention to one essential conclusion: a call to focus.

In Psalm 27:4, David wrote: "One thing I have asked from the LORD; that shall I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple."

David knew this could not be where he could be physically, but it was where his heart was and was that one thing he asked from the Lord: that his whole being would be completely His.

In Luke 10:38-42, we see the Lord and His disciples visiting their friends, Martha and Mary.

"Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came to Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.' But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.'"\

Martha welcomed the Lord, but left Him for what she may have thought He wanted her to do: prepare Him a good meal. What a rebuke--however gentle, then--for Martha to be told she is "worried and bothered about so many things."  Martha seems to have been focused on serving the Lord's physical needs, whereas Mary was more focused on learning spiritual truth from Him.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all recorded the encounter of the Lord with an anonymous man, the very rich (young) ruler.

In Luke's account (18:18-24) we read this:

"A ruler questioned Him, saying, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER." And he said, 'All these things I have kept from my youth.' When Jesus heard this, He said to him, 'One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall heave treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.' But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, 'How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!'"

As He does with all who meet Him, Jesus pinpointed what kept that man from the kingdom. This is not Jesus telling any and every one who would follow Him to sell all they have and give the proceeds to the poor. This is Jesus pointing out the cost of following Him.

When I read Paul's letter to the Philippians, I am reminded of the rich young ruler again. In Philippians 3, we read Paul's testimony:

"If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of  all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him; not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Jesus Christ. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and  reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:4b-15).

This was not the response of the very rich ruler. However, Christ made all of Paul's accomplishments under the Law as well as all he inherited in Judaism as less than nothing. I think those accomplishments were among the things Paul put behind him as he reached forward, pressing on toward that one thing: "the goal for the prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus."  We need to do the same thing, if we truly follow the One we claim to serve.

Advice to the Younger Me

If I could advise the younger me, what would I say?

First, just because you had the privilege of growing up in the home you did, and are looking forward to going to a Christian college, do not take your eye off the ball spiritually.

When the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote, "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw nigh when you say, 'I have no delight in them,'" he wasn't just filling out a journal with insignificant thoughts; these are the very words of God.

Second, just because you were able to do well academically and have a multiple of outside activities until now, be realistic when you start college. This is a whole new realm. It is as if you are back in ninth grade, finding your place, sorting out what interests are worth pursuing.

Because academics have to be a priority, do not take on either too heavy a course load even if you think you can manage that, or too many extracurricular activities. These years are going to call for a major investment in many ways, so make those investments prudently..

Third, speaking of money, be wise. Think about what Joseph ordered the Egyptians to do. When you have more, save it toward when you have less. Don't buy just because it makes you feel good or because you think the item won't be there tomorrow; if the Lord knows you need it, you will have it.

You were taught the Scriptures, so remember these passages from the Sermon on the Mount:

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do now sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father fees them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry, then, saying 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthews 6:25-34; NAS).

Fourth, spend more time with your family. You may want to make friends, and that is a good thing usually, but no one can take the place of family, at least not for you. Take advantage of opportunities to be with your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, in addition to your parents and sister.

Fifth, seek balance in your work life and non-work life. You know what your physical limitations are; take those into account. Burning the candle at both ends is not useful. You don't have to take on every opportunity which comes your way, even for the good things.

Sixth, in keeping with number 5, take care of your physical needs. Pay attention to getting enough rest; for example, going to the doctor and the dentist even when those seem pointless. Remember Him who created and redeemed you.

Seventh, by all means and at all points, when you get in over your heard in any way, don't be too proud to ask for help. This may be one of your greatest areas of weakness. So far the Lord has kept you by His grace through the circumstances He has ordained. Do not take this for granted. Expect His fatherly discipline too.

Nourish yourself spiritually. Walk prudently in your years in college and after. Seek to serve as He gives you opportunity, but pray before making commitments, and get advice as to whether each is right. Learn from the mistakes you make, especially learn discernment.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (NAS).

Philippians 2:1-4: "Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Holy Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mi9nd, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (NAS).

James 1:2-4: "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (NAS).

1 Peter 5:10: "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you" (NAS).

2 Peter 3:18: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen" (NAS).