Read: Hebrews 13:8-9
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (v. 8)
When I was a baby, my doctor told my mother that it was best to lay me on my stomach to sleep. He said that babies were happier on their stomachs and were less likely to choke if they spit up. When I had babies of my own, the doctor told me to lay them on their backs to sleep. New research shows that babies who sleep on their backs are much less likely to experience a host of dangers. Even though doctors give different advice now than they did 40 years ago, we can still trust that the goal of these doctors has always been to keep babies healthy and safe.
We constantly have new and different circumstances to navigate as the world around us develops and changes. But Jesus never changes. Our world doesn’t look the same today as it did when Jesus walked the earth, so we need to keep seeking God’s path in new ways. We ought to ask ourselves what Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have to teach us about how to interact with the world around us today. But we can be sure that no matter how circumstances change, Jesus’ message of love is always the same.
When the world changes, we don’t look for a new teaching; we look for new ways to follow Jesus’ command to love. And if we cling to the message of Jesus, we’ll find our way in any circumstance life throws at us.
As you pray, ask Jesus to help you hold fast to his truth.
About the Author
Jennifer Petersen is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America.
