Xfinity is the 'rebranding' name of Comcast, an internet and cable provider. In the commercial, we're shown a picture of a phone streaming a TV show while the voice over tells us 'this is your TV'. We see people skyping on a TV and hear 'this is your phone' and so on. A plethora of electronic devises not being used in traditional ways because technology changes so much and so quickly we can never be sure of what we know. And that is what they define as the future of awesome.
By contrast, my Jesus Calling devotional had this to say yesterday: "I am yours for all eternity. I am the Alpha and the Omega: the one who is and was and is to come. The world you inhabit is a place of constant changes-more than your mind can absorb without going into shock...I, however, am the same yesterday, today and forever."
As the Rich Mullins song says "our God is an awesome God." HE'S the future of awesome. And the past. And the present.
We are constantly being conditioned to change. We need to be entertained every moment. I write commercials for a living. Studies have shown that I have 3-4 SECONDS to grab your attention before you tune out or move on.
The same seems boring...stagnant...so, well, predictable!
That's the thing about God. His character never changes. It's always predictable. He is true to His word and His promises. BUT...His ways are never the same. Never boring or stagnant.
Ever look at how Jesus healed people in the Bible? No two the same. Ever wonder why that was? I think it's because He knew that we humans, for all our love of change, long for predictable.
Wait, isn't that contradictory?
No.
We long for sameness because we want to be able to say, if I do this and this, the result I'll get is this. But when we think we are able to control our destiny with formulas, we stop seeking God.
"I got this one Lord" becomes the attitude.
God likes to shake things up. His character is the same, but His methods often changed. Jesus healed those who sought it, but He did it differently each time. He answers prayer, but creatively and often times in ways we would never expect.
When we long after the unchanging nature of God...when we make it the unwavering foundation of our faith...when we learn to trust that He IS the same yesterday, today and forever - then we will enjoy a life that is never stagnant or boring. His creativity and variety satisfy our desire for change. It is the best of both worlds. It is change in the MIDST of being certain of what we know. And that is a much better thing.
It's the eternal future of awesome...but it's ours today.
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