High on my list of things that I do not like doing but sometimes have to is car shopping.  I have had a wide variety of experiences while car shopping over the years that have taken most of the fun out of it.  Nevertheless, Gale and I recently arrived at the decision that it is probably time to start looking.  It is rare for me to buy a brand new car; I usually go for the low mileage used ones, an approach that has served me well over the years.  However, with the clock of age running, I decided that we would attempt to buy one more new car in our lifetime (the last new one we bought was a 1984 Cavalier station wagon—things have sure changed a lot since then, including prices.  (I believe I gave $8300 for it!).

Thankfully we can now do quite a bit of investigation by way of the internet in the safety of home before ever visiting a car lot, so I at least believed I had somewhat educated myself on what I was looking for before I took the next step.  After visiting a couple of car lots and talking to salespeople with widely different approaches, we came to a decision and finalized the deal.  It is interesting how quickly buyer’s remorse can be felt, but for the most part we have been pleased with what we chose—not fancy, not expensive by today’s terms, but adequate to get us from point A to point B fairly comfortably.  Not to mention the luxury and enjoyment of that new car smell, something we have not had for a long time.

After getting our new ride home and starting to look at the owner’s manual, I found that there are a few more gadgets on the dashboard than I realized; by pressing various buttons a good deal of information can be accessed.  Perhaps as I investigate further additional ones will be discovered. 

When we take time to investigate the gracious provisions that we have in God we will find that what He offers us is more far reaching than we ever imagined.  The more we dig into His Word—the Bible—the more clearly we can see how deep His love and grace are.

Included among the aspects of Who God is and what that means to us is His unchanging nature.  We are assured of this in James 1:  “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows” (verse 17, New International Version).  In a song of praise in Isaiah 26, we are directed to “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” (verse 4).

To keep us from veering off track, we must have a solid, unchanging standard to guide us.  I was reminded of this recently as I prepared to plant potatoes.  I like to have nice straight rows, but it is sometimes difficult for me to achieve.  To help me lay off straight rows, I drove a stake into the ground at the opposite end of the row, kept my eyes fixed on it as I tilled toward it, and was able to keep the row straight. 

It is impossible for us in our own abilities to please God and walk the straight and narrow path that He has called us to.  We must have an unchanging and solid guide to lead us; we must keep our eyes on our Lord. 

As we move closer to the observance of Easter, let us remember that Jesus Christ is that solid Rock on Whom we can stand and He is that unchanging Guide that we can follow.  Perhaps sometimes we forget how blessed we are as His children.  We would do well to investigate and see how abundantly God has provided for us through Christ.