Changes: God's Opportunity to Bless
By Martha Noebel

We can look at each new day and even each second as an opportunity for God to bless us!

We all experience changes in our lives. From day to day we need God to help us get through whatever may come our way. Some days we are shouting, "Praise God!" while others we may be crying out saying, "I need a miracle!" Whatever the day may bring, changes will come and we need to have a godly mindset in order to handle them.

I was in a chapel service recently and I kept thinking about all the changes that were going on in my life. The daily challenges that my husband and I have in our home with raising two teenagers, the constant changes with our jobs, and the world around us in general -- these all speak of changes.

As I thought about it, I felt God drop this "pearl" into my heart. It is the acronym for the word "changes":

Christ
Has
A
New
Gift
Each
Second


Wow! We can look at each new day and even each second as an opportunity for God to bless us! Each moment contains a "gift from God" if we want to look for it. It can be in a smile from someone at work, an encouraging word from a friend, God's Word speaking to your heart, or a pat on the back from your boss. The list can be endless. Let's not overlook the obvious ones, like a promotion, good report cards for your children, being a "hero" in the eyes of a Sunday School child, an unexpected financial blessing, a whole week without something breaking in the house, or good health.

In Malachi 3:6, God says, "For I am the Lord, I change not...".

Isn't that comforting? With all of the changes, there is one thing that can not change -- God. This includes His great love for us. He also said in His Word,

"So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence" (Hebrews 6:18, The Book).

What has God promised you? He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, no matter what. As it says in Psalm 94:14 of the King James Version of the Bible, "For the Lord will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance." This same idea is repeated in the New Testament in Hebrews 13:5: "...for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

So let the changes come. We will not walk in fear but in faith! We will trust God with all of the changes and know that He is more than able to help us and that He even has plans to bless us.

Every second, if need be, we can find a blessing. Changes can be our friends, so let's look for God in them.

cbn