The Trouble with Consistency!

Consistency...now this is a word that seems to be completely lost in our modern day society. Consistency means "a steadfast adherence to the same principle, course, form, or way of life." In other words, a person who is consistent is one who holds to a set of beliefs or actions regardless of the ever-changing world around him or her.

Currently, we are living in an ever-changing world. Consistency is a lost art form in this world. From day to day, the information we are being told about life, politics, economics, business, and even a pandemic changes almost by the hour. There are very few consistent messages in our world today. The things we have consistently believed as Americans based on our Constitution, our Founders, and even scripture are now changing by the day. That which was once considered to be moral and right is now considered to be wrong. Those things which were once considered to be immoral, shameful, and wrong are now being promoted as the norm or society. Continually hearing inconsistent messages confuses a lost world. For this reason, this is why it is so important that the church be consistent in our message about the love of Jesus who came to save people from their sins. We must consistently remind others that Jesus died for all so that all people might be saved. We must be consistent in our message that we care for the people of our communities and we show it in practical ways of ministry. Our message must be consistent as a church.

Secondly, our lives must be consistent as Christians. We live as followers of Jesus in the midst of a world filled with inconsistencies. Yet, the Lord is not inconsistent. We read in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever." We do not really see this consistency among Jesus' followers do we? Take for example the current Covid-19 pandemic. We have seen parents tell us that they are not comfortable sending their children to VBS or attending Sunday worship, but they have not missed one Little League baseball game, cheer practice, their child's birthday swimming party, or trips to Wal-Mart, local restaurants, or community events. When we do this, we are very inconsistent with the message we are sending to our children.

Thirdly, our lives must be consistent for our Children. We cannot deny the fact that we have a number of adults all around us who are very inconsistent with their own children. While they hold a high standard for their children related to the things they do or cannot do, the parent does not even attempt to follow that same standard in their own life. As parents, we cannot and will not ever be perfect. However, when we are at least attempting to be consistent, we give our children a great sense of personal security and value.

Why do I mention all of this? I mention all of this because our consistency directly relates to our Christian witness and commitment. We should be a people who are consistent in how we live our lives from the Lord, do ministry, go to our jobs, attend school, or even play on a sports team. After all, the Lord is unchanging, His Word and truths are unchanging, and our commitment to Him should be solid and immovable!

Let's be more consistent with how we live our lives in this world right now. In a world of inconsistency, people need to experience Christ followers who are consistent in their character, commitment, and conversations about Jesus!