Most things in life have exceptions. Righteous living generally leads to blessing in this life, but not always. Wickedness generally leads to destruction, but sometimes the wicked prosper. Water is not wine unless Jesus is involved.
Similarly, Christmas is great, but fleeting. It comes quickly, bringing fun parties, gifts, carols and cookies, then it’s gone as quickly as it came. Jerry Seinfeld jokes about how the Christmas tree seems so quaint until the day after Christmas. Suddenly we wake up and say, “what’s a tree doing in our house?”
God is a refreshing change to the exceptions, transience and change in our life.
Lamentation 3:22 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never comes to an end, they are new every morning.”
So much of our life ebbs and flows, but God is always God. God is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q4). He cannot change (Num. 23:19). God being God has no exceptions or special clauses. When it comes to God being God there is no “unless this” or “if that.” God has no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17).
The other aspect of God that is ceaseless is his love for his children. It never takes a break. It’s there every morning when we wake up and when we go to bed. It never fades or gets old. Long after our presents this year have faded physically or in our hearts, God and his steadfast love will keep shining as bright as the sun.
God is eternal, unchangeable, and ceaseless and so is his love for his children. “The grass withers, the flower fades…” Christmas comes and goes, joy from presents wears off, “but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isa. 40:8). And because Jesus came to earth, we can stand with him forever, secure and radiant in his steadfast love for us for all eternity.
Mike McGregor
Mike McGregor (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is Director of College Ministry at First Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. You can follow him on Twitter at @m5mcgregor.
