JUST THE SAME

Change comes into our lives every day, every moment and from everywhere. Nothing seems to be the same or stay the same. In fact, the only thing that seems to stay the same is the fact that everything changes. Each day we get new chances to see life anew with fresh and exciting opportunities; or to complain about the “good old days”.

Sometimes things change for a season and then they are brought back; “retro”. Movies and television shows have been re-written and brought back to life and modernized, hoping that we wouldn’t notice the change. Television hosts are bounced from time slot to time slot and from station to station; all the while hoping that their loyal audience will stay with them.

Products like the Ford Mustang and “original” Coca-Cola, and others have gone back to the old formulas and reintroduced them hoping that we wouldn’t realize that once again they’ve changed. But they’re not the same, and we know it. Nothing will ever replace the smell of those old cars and sugar-laced Coca-Cola.

Sometimes I don’t like change and I wish that things could stay just the same. This year my beloved Dallas Cowboys are a mirrored opposite reflection of the great team that they were in the nineties when they were Super Bowl Champions three out of four years. I’m still a Cowboy fan, but now we shout greetings to other fans; “WHAT about those Cowboys?” instead of; “How about them Cowboys?” I don’t like being in last place.

Change affects all of us deeply at times. In my lifetime I’ve seen way too many relationships end in divorce and families fractured. Homes become shattered and changed; no longer “just the same”.

I’ve seen too many people getting laid off or losing their jobs that they had for 20 or more years. It’s hard to walk around an office or business or factory when close friends are no longer working there. 

I’ve heard too many cries wondering when life would stop changing; for at least a little while, so that they could put up their feet and catch their breath. 

My friend, are you looking for hope in this ever changing world you find yourself in? The Bible tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”. (Hebrews 13:8). Isn’t that great? What it is saying is that as the world we live in ever changes; GOD DOESN’T CHANGE!

In another place in the Bible, God tells us; "For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” (Malachi 3:6)

Our world may change, but God doesn’t. The same God who was with Daniel in the Lion’s den, Noah during the flood, David when he was fighting Goliath is still the same today. To me, those are comforting words. They are kind of like hearing that the shingles may blow off your roof during a storm but your foundation will remain unchanged!

And because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He is still longing for you to get to know Him. Do you know Him? You can, today! We may not be able to start each day with no change, but we can awaken with the hope that as we turn to God each day, we will find His mercy fresh and new waiting for us to use. Great is His faithfulness; in that we can place our hope!

Are you ready to get your life “stabilized”? Have you tried to clean up your life with no success? Are you tired of trying to do it your way? Call 1-888-NEED –HIM; someone is waiting to talk with you.

JUST THE SAME by Phil Keaggy & Buck Herring (Original Lyrics) (unreleased demo)
When Moses and his people 
From Egypt's land did flee,
Their enemies behind them,
And in front of them the sea.
God raised the waters like a wall,
And opened up the way,
And the God that lived in Moses' time
Is just the same today.

When David and Goliath met,
The wrong against the right,
The Giant armed with human power
And David with God's might.
God's power with David slinging stone,
The Giant lowed he lay,
And the God that lived in David's time
Is just the same today.

Just the same, just the same today.
Just the same, just the same today.

When Pentecost had fully come,
And the fire from Heaven did fall,
The mighty wind, the Holy Ghost
Baptized them one and all.
Three thousand got converted
And were workers right away,
And the God that lived in Pentecost
Is just the same today.

Just the same, just the same today.
Just the same, we're just the same today.

Other version:
Locked into a corner, up against a wall
I know you've been stumblin, trying not to fall.
I can feel your sorrow, I can share your pain.
I can hear the questions exploding in your brain.

Walking in the shadows, feeling all alone
Looking for the answer, rolling every stone.
Tears that run in silence and laughing in a game,
Though my eyes can't see you
I know we're much the same.

Much the same, much the same this way.
Much the same, much the same this way.

Miles may lay between us,
And rivers where the bend,
But near you is a brother,
In whom you can depend.
So share the weight with others,
And call upon His name.
Don't try to bear the load alone
Cause Jesus took the blame.

And He's just the same, just the same today.
And He's just the same, just the same today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIoWFO3PXf0&feature=related