knowing the unchanging, infinite

Two characteristics of God that we (Christians) put out there are that He is unchanging and that He is infinite. How does this impact our ability to “know” God (to understand His character, to follow after Him)?
His unchanging nature means that we don’t have to worry about Him developing a new perspective or re-ordering His priorities. His stability means that when we discover something about His character, we don’t need to be concerned about whether or not it will be true tomorrow. If what we have believed about God is true, it will be just as true tomorrow as it is today.
It is God’s infinity that holds the mystery of His being. This is why, as finite beings, our pursuit of God will not ever end and should never slow down. While we can (and should) rest in His immutability, we should be tireless in (and even relish) our pursuit of all that He is. I often wonder if this is why we are given eternity with Him. I’ve never been one to believe we will understand everything, completely, simply because we pass “into eternity” (which is, itself, a bogus concept- we’re already there). Rather, I think we will have a complete acceptance of God’s sufficiency, justice, worthiness and holiness. I don’t believe that we are suddenly endowed with universal understanding. We are not made omniscient or omnipotent or become a part of the God-head ourselves, so why do we assume that our understanding will be complete? What if the gift of eternal life (a life without the stain of sin, twisting our perception) is not perfect understanding but rather, constant discovery?
Because of His unchanging nature, we can know Him. His infinite nature prevents us from fully understanding every aspect of that unchanging. That should impact our walk with Him in these 2 ways:

First, we should realize that our walk is a pursuit; we are constantly following Him deeper into His own personality and character. Second, we need to accept that, on that journey into mystery, truth, and infinity, we will inevitably discover things that contradict some previous understanding and that that’s O.K.! Our changes in understanding are actually cause for great joy, since they reflect a change in us, not in God, and that change is a closer, deeper relationship with Him!

somber celebration...?

"I thank God for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring

Salute the ones who died
The ones that gave their lives
So we don't have to sacrifice
All the things we love

Like our chicken fried
Cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up..."
(The Zac Brown Band, Chicken Fried)

I was thinking about how strange we Americans can be... having a holiday like "Memorial Day"... one that is meant to be a day to honor the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom that we commemorate by... BBQ's and Beer, maybe a little bit of baseball (or arena football... go Glads!)...

Just as I was about to comment to a co-worker the apparent disconnect... the seemingly irreverent way we have of celebrating what (I was then thinking) should be one of our more somber days... the lines (above) from the song Chicken Fried popped into my head...

Attitude: Adjusted.

The service-people who died for our country... probably wouldn't have it any other way... their deaths were not so we could sit around and mourn their passing... or our own loss... their lives were given that we might enjoy the freedoms they were protecting... and what better way to honor them than by doing just that?

So wether you have made the ultimate sacrifice... or something as small as your best friend's wedding... to defend my freedom and the values of this nation... thank you!