Altering the Guide

“He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not my words, hath One that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48)

As a seamstress, I’ve resized many patterns in my day, but altering the guide sheet instructions included with the pattern is an invitation for an undesirable outcome. Taking shortcuts or neglecting the instructions on assembling purchases can also cause frustrating results.

Far more important than pattern or assembly instructions is God’s guidebook for our lives. When we tamper with God’s Word, disaster awaits. The condition of our world today is proof. What proof? It began with God’s perfect creation of the garden of Eden and the first man and woman. There was no printed guidebook, but God communed with Adam and Eve, giving clear instructions on living in the paradise He created. There is no record of how long they lived in total bliss, but they yielded to the serpent’s temptation one day. The couple embraced his twisted—altered—version of God’s truth and ate the forbidden fruit. From that moment, humanity and Earth itself have been in decline and dying.

Many lawmakers and courts have managed to twist God’s Word, designed and given to protect and guide us, under the guise of “people’s rights.” But all too often, these servants of justice who swear before God with their hand on The Holy Bible do not do what is just for the people they vow to serve. Some fail out of error; others disregard their vow because they focus on their way, not God’s law or what is best for the people. Although humanity chooses to defy God’s instructions, the truth of His Word stays unchanged.

Our nation is suffering. We see law-abiding citizens harassed and sometimes punished while many lawbreakers and faulty lawmakers get a pass. Social and moral decline is notable since “the law” banned prayer from public schools and the slaughter of unborn babies. We took a moral nose-dive with the consideration of destroying infants who survive failed abortions. God’s command on murder is plain (Exodus 20:13). His Word cannot be altered or tweaked; we either obey it or break it. When the law of the land is contrary to God’s law, the Word of God always trumps man’s law—always. Depravity is in full bloom in our society; how we must grieve God’s heart.

God holds the guilty accountable for every sin committed, from the minor lie to the most heinous act imaginable. Yet, His mercy offers hope for His prized creation: “ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon Him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). God loves unconditionally and wants to forgive, cleanse, heal, and restore, but the sinner must first confess the wrongdoing, turn from the sin, and turn to Him (1 John 1:9). Only then is freedom for a fresh start found.

God’s guide for our right living, penned thousands of years ago, is the same for us today—He will never alter it. To discard His Word’s truth is to reject God, who judges us. He is the same God of yesterday, today, and the same God who will always be.