by leaps and bounds

And You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail (Hebrews 1:10-12).

Autumn is a season that exudes change. The colors of the leaves change. The leaves fall. Summer heat gives way to crisp, cool fall air. Time even changes as we turn our clocks back. As they say- change is inevitable.

During the years 1962-63, there was a cartoon called “The Jetsons.” It was actually supposed to be set in the year 2062. As a child, I enjoyed the cartoon, but I thought it was funny that the writers believed the world could possibly change that much. Notice some of the things this cartoon show predicted:

Rosie the Robot helped with household chores. The oven was self-cleaning.
The house lights were voice activated. Videophones were used.

I thought these changes would never come! However, look where we are: Robots don’t only help with household chores, they are used in performing surgeries.

Self-cleaning ovens have been with us for a long time.
House lights can be activated by voice, but also by clapping of the hands. Those videophones are now Zoom, Skype and Facetime.

Technology has changed. So have other things changed:
Credit and debit cards have all but replaced currency.

Self checkout has replaced cashiers.
Cursive writing has almost disappeared because a straight line drawn at a checkout counts as a signature.
Government has become exceedingly divided thus dividing the citizenry.

As we look at these changes, we can see some change has been good. Some change has been bad. The jury is still out on some changes we have seen.

Yes, change is inevitable. Tomorrow, society will be different than it is today. We have no idea how much our world will change. Certainly, we can be thankful that God is always the same no matter how chaotic things may seem. Using lyrics from old and new songs- we can be thankful that these truths do not change:

The old rugged cross still makes the difference. There is still power in the blood to wash away all sin. God is still our good, good Father.
God is faithful.

Dwelling on the uncertainty of this world will get us nowhere- nothing to hold on to. Dwelling on the stability of God will get us to Heaven- He is our firm foundation. We can hold fast to the words of Hebrews 6:17-19:

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…”

So, we can let change occur without fearing what will result. After all, God is always the same.

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.