Ed Chappelle: As The World Changes
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
~Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Bill and his best friend Andrew were having coffee at a local coffee shop on a gorgeous sunny day. They had talked about several topics before politics entered their conversation. At that precise moment, Bill and Andrew’s discussion changed from a civil dialogue to one that resembled a pop-up thunderstorm in the heat of a summer day. Their tongues did more damage relationship-wise than a tornado that spins out of control across the plains of Oklahoma.
Has the above scenario ever happened to you?
We live in a society where disagreements arise with the spoken or written word, and where social media is a venue where family and friends come under attack. Can you imagine a place where social media or harsh words don’t exist? You will find such a place in the beginning chapters of Genesis when the first family was tucked away in the Garden of Eden. This idyllic, peaceful retreat, is what God intended the world to be like. There man spoke in kindness with uplifting words. There were no spreading falsehoods to prove one’s point, and there were no blaming words. However, when Adam and Eve gave into temptation, sin entered into our world, and all the fallacies we see today entered with their fall. Nothing has been the same since except for one crucial point–God has never changed.
Can you imagine a place where social media or hard words didn’t exist?
You will find such a place in … the Garden of Eden.
This idyllic, peaceful retreat, is what God intended the world to be like.
~Ed Chappelle
As the world has made technological advances over the centuries, so has humanity. We have invented several modes of transportation such as motor vehicles, aircraft, and spacecraft. We have the ability not only to walk or drive a vehicle, but we can now travel to the stars. Over the past 150 years, the telephone, television, and the World Wide Web has opened up the doors of communication. So the world we live in has changed dramatically over the centuries, but God has never changed.
In this crazy mixed-up world where disagreements can cause relationships to fade away, we can rest on the promises of God. #EdChappelle #VineWords #AsTheWorldChanges Click To TweetIn this crazy mixed-up world where disagreements can cause relationships to fade away, we can rest on the promises of God, that He will never change. I have found this to be accurate as I have experienced peace in my life through all circumstances.
Friend, how about you? What things in your life have you experienced a change in? Has your health declined? Do you find yourself in the empty-nest syndrome? Is your marriage shipwrecked, or maybe you recently became a widow? Are you experiencing relational issues with family or friends? Whatever situation you may find yourself in today, I want to encourage you with God’s Holy Word. In Isaiah 40:8 ESV, we read, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
When all else seems to be lost, God’s Holy Word will comfort you through the changes in your life. He never, ever changes–and what’s more, He loves you with an everlasting, dependable love.
What Scripture is your go-to word when the world seems topsy-turvy?
Heavenly Father, thank You that I can depend on You to be loving, kind, and faithful when the world around me seems to be just the opposite. Thank You that I can shelter in You, the unchanging God who loves me. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Copyright 2020: As the World Changes: Author Ed Chappelle: All Rights Reserved
Meet Our Contributor
ED CHAPPELLE
Ed Chappelle is the Founder/Administrator/Lead Writer for Come to the Table Facebook ministry, a place where people of faith are encouraged to connect with others and share testimonies, articles, and prayer needs. He is an ordained minister.
Ed is a devotion writer for VineWords: Devotions and More. He is a contributing author to Love Knots: Stories of Faith, Family, and Friendships (VineWords Publishing).
Some people say Ed’s genealogy can be traced to Noah. Ed and his wife Kym are known for their animal rescue ministry, Critter Care. Their “family” includes dogs, cats, birds, a guinea pigs, sugar sliders, ferrets, geckos, bearded dragons, tropical fish, and a plethora of God’s creatures.
Ed served in the United States Air Force for over four years, earning the rank of Sergeant. He was eight years old when Apollo 11 went to the moon. His love for his country, the armed forces, and space exploration compelled him to write the popular tribute, Man on the Moon.
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I love your title, Ed. Yes, the world is certainly changing before our eyes. But Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Let’s hide in Him and be at peace with Him and our fellow man.
Amen, Jesus is the answer for our world today.
Great post, Ed and so true! I think of my family and the words that are said over politics…Our world has become so different.
Stephanie, thank you for your comment. The way we communicate should be delivered with the love of Christ, so that we may point others to the way of the cross. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. (NIV)
Only Jesus can solve the problems of this world, and one glorious day this will happen. Until then we must continue to evangelize by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Praise God He is coming back soon!
A very timely word. He is our Shelter, our Strong tower or firm foundation. Thank you Ed for sharing.
Glenda, thank you for your comment. Sheltered in the Arms of God is the only way to have peace in this world.
I love this thought, “… except for one crucial point–God has never changed.” Such an important reminder for each of us. As to Ed’s question at the end, in times like this, I lean on Philippians 3:20, but also all of God’s word provides us with the strength and resolve we need to navigate this life.
J.D. Wininger, thank you for your comments. Philippians 3:20-21, along with other scriptures, is my reassurance that God has everything under control. I rest in the arms of God with every breath I take.