“THE INEVITABLE CHANGE”

“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

1 John 2:17

“The only constant in life is change,” said Heraclitus, a well-known ancient Greek philosopher. Benjamin Franklin uttered a similar nugget: “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” The idea is that since the world is changing, we have no choice but to adapt to those changes, or else we will be left behind. Change can mean something has to cease to exist for the new one to come alive. Change is real and the Bible takes things up a notch.

In today’s verse, John reveals that the present evil world system dominated by Satan is disintegrating and will eventually come to an end. The world, as we know it, will be no more when the Lord Jesus comes and sets up His Kingdom. In fact, God promised that He will make a new heaven and new earth (Revelation 21:1;4). Because of the world’s temporary nature, there is no reason for a Christian to devote his life to chasing worldly pursuits.

Don’t you long to live in an environment where there is no presence of evil, sin, and temptation? I do. That’s why I cannot wait to see the fulfillment of all of God’s promises and finally get rid of our sinful nature.

But while we’re waiting for those things to happen, we are to do God’s will, and we should start by knowing Him. God, in His graciousness, makes His will known to His children (Acts 22:14) and wants us to be filled with the knowledge of it. God’s will is not a formula to succeed in a career or life; it is what controls our lives. It takes full human surrender to see God’s divine will.

There are no shortcuts to knowing the will of the Lord. We have to diligently study His written Word to see it for ourselves. It’s not difficult to know if we are doing God’s will. We can ask ourselves these questions:

What is our attitude in reading the Bible?

Do we treat it like air or water, that we can’t last a day without it?

What is the Bible’s part in our decision-making?

Do we seek God’s guidance through prayer and meditation on His Word?

Do we consult with mature Christian leaders and ask for their advice?

The world is fading away and everything about it is transient. But your choices in this life will determine your eternity. Do you want to enjoy the pleasures of fleshly desires now and suffer the consequences forever? Or would you rather live in submission to the Holy Spirit, keep a close relationship with God, and share in His everlasting Kingdom?

Pursue the Savior today!