When Not To Change
American culture is constantly pursuing change. We talk about change in religion, politics, education and business. Self help books pour off the presses in record numbers each year. We are encouraged to change and in the month of February I have been joining the chorus of voices that cries out for change. But there are sometimes when change is not in our best interest. It is wrong to change just for the sake of change or to change because it is politically or culturally correct to do so. Some things we need to hold tightly to and stubbornly refuse to change even when such a position will leave us in the minority. Why? Because often many changes today are unexamined. Change because it is change too often qualifies as something good and is seen as progress. Often missing is any reference of criteria by which we evaluate change as good or bad. We don’t stop to ask if this change is for the better or the worse. Change is progress and progress is good so that’s the end of it. Well, I would argue, that change without absolute standards by which to evaluate it ultimately leads to personal, national, and global chaos. Man cannot make his desire the measure of all things. Allow me to leave you with some eternal absolutes by which to evaluate the change you may be considering today. If your change violates one of these you would do well to leave change to another day.
Exodus 20:1-17 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. –KJV