Hasbro has determined that the buying hotels and houses aspect of Monopoly doesn’t much appeal to millennials, who “can’t afford it anyway.” So just in time for Christmas, the company has released a new version of its classic game, Monopoly for Millennials, in which players, whose game pieces include an emoji and a vintage camera, gather experiences rather than property. On the box, Rich Uncle Pennybags holds a takeout coffee and wears ear buds and a “participation” medal that reads, “If you had fun, you won!” USA Today reported the game’s experiences include “Thrift Shop” and “Farmers Market,” along with dining at a vegan bistro and attending a music festival. But make sure you Uber home: There is still a “Go to Jail” space on the board. [USA Today, 11/14/2018]
Times are very different than when I was a kid. I remember playing Monopoly for hours with my parents and trying to buy as much property as I could so I could build houses and hotels and make a fortune on the rent. Sadly, we live in a culture that wants to change everything, including the games we all used to play. And while I’m all for progress and change, not all change is for the better.
Thankfully God never changes. He “…is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). And not only does He never change, his word never changes either. Jesus would say in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” In other words, the Lord will never be unreliable and he will never change what he has said. Therefore, when Jesus says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16), you can rest assured that he means what he says and if you desire to be saved you will obey his words.
So many want to change the message of the gospel. They want to change the way of salvation and the words of Christ. In fact, some people believe that so long as you have participated in anything religious you’ll win and that eternal life in heaven will be assured. But God has a standard by which we are to live, a standard that will not change and a standard that we will be judged by (Cf. John 12:48). And if I have chosen to ignore that standard or worse, attempted to change that standard, then I will be held responsible when the Day of Judgment comes.
Change is inevitable. And I have certainly seen many changes in my life. But I’m thankful some things never change. And I’m thankful I serve an unchanging God!
Randy Mathis' Blog 