The Slightest Suggestion...

I got to “California Dreaming” the other morning while checking myself out from my local Neighborhood Walmart, where I had gone to stock up on a few groceries for the weekend.  Over the past year, I had developed a friendship with one of the front-end supervisors who are always stationed near the self-check areas at the front of the store. 

Well, my friend was there that day and as she walked back and forth from the various check out areas to assist customers, she would stop and chat with me.  Somehow, during one of our short conversations, I found myself telling her about the wonderful Pacific Ocean coastline near our home in northern California.

I shared that we went there quite often, including the many times, when I worked the swing shift at Hewlett Packard, when Piper and I and the young kids would jump in the car, drive out there before work, take off our shoes and socks and walk along the water line as the waves crashed and spread out over our feet along the sandy beach… and then scurry back home so as to be at work by 2:00!

That memory of us walking in and out of the cold, foaming Pacific Ocean water, as it washed up the shoreline, came back to me this morning as Fiver took our morning walk, following my daily Bible study time.  I had been reading James 1:17 where James, the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem, wrote to Jewish Christians spread out across the known world, boldly declaring that,

“Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn't change like the SHIFTING shadows produced by the sun and the moon.” (God’s Word ©)

It was the experience of the SHIFTING SAND under our feet as the water came in and out, that got me thinking about how James emphatically tells us that,

“The Father doesn't change like the SHIFTING shadows produced by the sun and the moon.”

In case you’ve never experienced the sensation of the sand SHIFTING under your feet as the ocean sucks back its wave (and you along with it)… it can be a very unnerving feeling.  Your automatic reaction is to step forward toward the beach and work to find some solid footing.

James tells us that with our trust in God (and the truth of His Word) there is no SHIFTING SAND under your feet, or SHIFTING shadows… ie; the physical things that we can see or touch that can move around and change depending on the time of day or circumstances at hand… to deal with!

I like the way that the Weymouth New Testament puts it, explaining that “in Him there is NO variation nor the slightest suggestion of change.”

You see, when we choose to trust in God for the daily activities of our lives, we are assured that “in Him there is NO variation” or even “the slightest suggestion of change.”  The Prophet makes this point pretty clear in Numbers 23:19 by declaring that,

“God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn't change His mind. When He says something, He does it. When He makes a promise, He keeps it.” (God’s Word ©)

The unchangeableness of God is one of the basic foundations of our Christian faith.  Without the working knowledge of this under our belts, it is almost impossible to trust God and/or be in faith for any of the promises to us in His Word!  And that is why I particularly favor the Weymouth translation of James 1:17… because it quickly voids out even “the slightest suggestion” that some unseen factor could sneak in and prove God and His Word to be anything but faithful to His stated purpose!

That’s also important to remember as the devil’s favorite weapon that he likes to bring against us is doubt!  You might recall back in Genesis 3 when the snake spoke to Eve in the beginning in the garden and seeded the slightest suggestion of change in her mind by asking,

 “Did God really say…”

Yesterday I turned to a highly marked up section of Piper’s “The Way” Living Bible Illustrated that perfectly summed up the message of today’s post… as well as being a wonderful summation of my wife’s Christian faith.  Here the unknown Psalmist personally cried out by declaring,

“I faint (or am weak) for your salvation; but I EXPECT your help, FOR YOU HAVE PROMISED IT!” (Psalm 119:81)

I am excited to live with the kind of faith in God and His Word that is not founded on the ever-shifting sand under my feet, that is constantly pushed and pulled by the waves of the sea.  But instead, I stand steadfast and secure on the solid foundation of God’s truth, without any variableness in my beliefs in the power of God’s Word… WITHOUT even the SLIGHTEST SUGGESTION of CHANGE!

HOW ABOUT YOU?

We missed out on any negative effects of Hurricane Helene here in our area of Oklahoma and are enjoying a beautiful weekend with blue skies and temperatures in the low eighties!  Life is good… It definitely has me “California Dreaming” of the similar weather we also enjoyed in our northern California region.

Have a blessed weekend wherever you are, stay true to your faith in the Word of God and be alert for even the SLIGHTEST SUGGESTION of CHANGE that might make you have the SLIGHTEST DOUBT in the fulfilment of God’s promises to you!