The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “CHANGE HAPPENS” for Thursday, 18 August 2016 with Scripture: Isaiah 43:14-21

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “CHANGE HAPPENS” for Thursday, 18 August 2016 with Scripture: Isaiah 43:14 Here is what Adonai, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Isra’el, says:
“For your sake I have sent [an army] to Bavel
and knocked down the fleeing Kasdim, all of them;
their songs of triumph are now lamentations.
15 I am Adonai, your Holy One,
the Creator of Isra’el, your King.”
16 Here is what Adonai says,
who made a way in the sea,
a path through the raging waves;
17 who led out chariot and horse,
the army in its strength —
they lay down, never to rise again,
snuffed out and quenched like a wick:
18 “Stop dwelling on past events
and brooding over times gone by;
19 I am doing something new;
it’s springing up — can’t you see it?
I am making a road in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
because I put water in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland,
for my chosen people to drink,
21 the people I formed for myself,
so that they would proclaim my praise.
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Peter replied, “Change your hearts and lives.”[Acts 2:38 (CEB)]
As a pastor who moves to a new church at the direction of my bishop, I know how difficult change can be. New faces, new names, new ideas, and learning new ways that people interact together are some of the challenges in each new location.
Receiving a new pastor can be an uneasy transition for congregations as well. What will the new pastor focus on? Will our mission focus need to change? Will our theological ideas differ?
As Jesus preached and taught, he called people to change their hearts, their old ways of living and thinking. Christ called those who heard his voice to live for God and for neighbor, and not to think so much about self.
We will all encounter change in our lives. We know that uneasiness, confusion, and fear are often part of that. Whether change comes in our churches, families, work, or relationships, we can know that Christ always walks with us through these changes. We are never abandoned; we are never alone. Changes we encounter can deepen our spiritual lives as we rely more fully on Christ.
Read more from the author, here.
More from Jerry Krueger

My devotional for today was based on change and how we each as individuals encounter and face change throughout our lives.
I had written this devotional over two years prior to the devotional being published. And I have moved since. I moved to a new church in July of 2016.
When I wrote this devotional several years ago, I had no idea I would be moving to a new church, nor did I anticipate change that would come in my personal life or life in the church. One of my sons moved across the United States to Oregon from Texas. Another son got married and he and his wife added a little baby girl to their family.
The community I live in is undergoing constant change. It is visioning a new community, changing from a former steel manufacturing city to a community rooted in innovative computer design, 3-D imaging, education, and medical care.
Change is all around us, typically moving through our lives in ways that we miss. Change is constant, although it can occur in such small aspects that somehow it takes a pointed looking back from where we were to seeing where we have moved to.
The risk for many people is that we will give inflated credence to the past, bemoaning what was in our past, and not seeing that the present and future, although different, can be great and challenging as well.
This present age is ripe with opportunity for us to change and transform the world for the missions of Jesus Christ. Perhaps the key to our undertaking significant change is evaluating our own lives and asking how we might more fully engage the world with Christ as our model.
As I settle into my new pastoral appointment, I continue to believe that God through Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit lead us, guide us, and challenge us to continue to pour ourselves out in transforming the world around us so more people will know Christ and come to love him.
I rely on Jesus Christ to guide me though changes in my life, in the life of the church, in the community I live in, and in the world.[Jerry Krueger]
The Author: Jerry W. Krueger (Ohio, USA)
Thought for the Day: Christ walks with me through every change.
Prayer: Holy One, walk with us as our lives change. Help us to trust you daily as you guide our steps. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prayer focus: CHURCHES RECEIVING A NEW PASTOR

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