Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all. For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself. Hebrews 13:7-8

 

Consistent and Constant

 

Living in a world of swift changes, people too have become victims to the weather of the climate of change— they change their words, change their commitments, cars, computers, homes, friends, and partners. But the children of God, having His image are invited to stay as His Son-incarnate, came down to teach, to stay constant and consistent in their love, faith and hope in God, for we believe in the Messiah who, according to the author is proclaimed as: For Jesus doesn’t change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he’s always totally himself. Hebrews 13:8

We start losing our consistency, by changing our words given to God or others, hence taught by the Master:

Matthew 5:37 

37 But let [a]your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Basing on the word given, while accepting the invitation for the wedding banquet, the dinner was prepared, by at the time of dinner, they excused and changed their minds, that infuriated the king, who took the uninvited as guests for the sumptuous meal, again sin against being consistent and constant:

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. Mt 22:4-10

In contrast to these the pagan girl who got wedded to the family of faith, instantly exhibited her trait of consistency, despite losing her husband, and Ruth remains the best example of commitment, consistency and being constant:

She answered: Be not against me, to desire that I should leave thee and depart: for whithersoever thou shalt go, I will go: and where thou shalt dwell, I also will dwell. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Ruth 1:16

Peter wept over the shame of betrayal and cowardice, But God who is Constant, intended pardon and reinstalled by affirming his confession of love thrice:

5 Then when they ate, he says to Shimon Kefa, Shimon Bar-Yochanan, do you have ahavah for me more than these? Shimon Kefa says to him, Ken, Adoni, You have da’as that I have ahavah for You. He says to him, Feed My lambs.

16 He again a second time says to him, Shimon Bar-Yochanan, do you have ahavah for me? Shimon Kefa says to him, Ken, Adoni, You have da’as that I have ahavah for You. He says to him, Take care [as a ro’eh (shepherd) would] of My sheep. [2Sm 5:2; Ezek 34:2 Ps 78:71]

17 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to him the shlishit time, Shimon Ben Yochanan, do you have ahavah for me? Kefa was grieved because Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to him the shlishit time, Do you have ahavah for me? And he says to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, Adoni, You have da’as of all things. You have da’as that I have ahavah for You. Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to him, Feed My kevasim.

18 Omein, omein, I say to you, that when you were young, you were girding yourself and were walking where you wanted, but when you grow old you will extend your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go.

19 And this He said signifying by what mavet Shimon Kefa will glorify Hashem. After this, He said to him, Follow Me. Jn 21:15-19 

At Shechem, Joshua declared his and the household’s consistent commitment and motivated the people to declare and make the covenant to the faithful God who led them through:

15 “If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.”

16 The people answered, “We’d never forsake God! Never! We’d never leave God to worship other gods.

17-18 “God is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we’ve traveled and among the nations we’ve passed through. Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land.

“Count us in: We too are going to worship God. He’s our God.”

19-20 Then Joshua told the people: “You can’t do it; you’re not able to worship God. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won’t put up with your fooling around and sinning. When you leave God and take up the worship of foreign gods, he’ll turn right around and come down on you hard. He’ll put an end to you—and after all the good he has done for you!”

21 But the people told Joshua: “No! No! We worship God!”

22 And so Joshua addressed the people: “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen God for yourselves—to worship him.”

And they said, “We are witnesses.”

23 Joshua said, “Now get rid of all the foreign gods you have with you. Say an unqualified Yes to God, the God of Israel.”

24 The people answered Joshua, “We will worship God. What he says, we’ll do.”

25-26 Joshua completed a Covenant for the people that day there at Shechem. He made it official, spelling it out in detail. Joshua wrote out all the directions and regulations into the Book of The Revelation of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak that was in the holy place of God.

27 Joshua spoke to all the people: “This stone is a witness against us. It has heard every word that God has said to us. It is a standing witness against you lest you cheat on your God.”

28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his own place of inheritance. Josh 24:15-28

May we sincerely repent for the sins against consistency and constancy, with regard to the word that we gave to God and to fellow brethren, and vow to embrace His children’s genuine nature of true commitment in thought, word and action, henceforth with the provision of His grace.

 

Abba, Thank You for being Constant and Consistent in Being, Love, Forgiveness and Grace. Let Your Spirit encourage us to stay anchored to this virtues, In Jesus’ Most True Name, Amen.