*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL*
_By Pastor Mensa Otabil_
Sunday 20th June 2021
*LET US SERVE GOD WITH REVERENCE*
*Scripture Reading:* Hebrews 12:1-29
_Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear._ *(Hebrews 12:28)*
As Christians, we belong to a Kingdom that cannot be moved or shaken. The great empires of antiquity—Egypt, Assyria, Greece, Rome—are all gone. In the same way, the great kingdoms of today will pass away. No earthly kingdom or system can abide forever. This is because we live in a world where nothing is permanent.
Only the Kingdom of God is permanent. While Christian churches may pass away, God’s Kingdom ever abides and ever grows. Christian denominations and sects may die, but the Church of Christ lives and advances from generation to generation and from glory to glory.
In the night, when we go to sleep, the presence of the sun may be veiled from us, but the sun is there, blazing and luminous as ever. On a rainy day, clouds may darken the sun from our view, and pour out a storm on us, but the sun is not lost—beyond and above the clouds its light continues to shine.
So the reality of God’s kingdom within us may be disturbed and suspended and lost for a time, but the kingdom is not lost, suspended, or disturbed. If we have received Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord, we have “received a kingdom which cannot be moved.”
Since we belong to God’s unshakeable Kingdom, we must remain steadfast in our faith. We have a firm foundation on which to stand. God’s Kingdom remains permanent regardless of the changing seasons of our world. It will endure beyond time.
We must serve God acceptably. Because we have been given the priceless privilege of citizenship, we cannot live our lives as we please. We must live to please the King who has called us into His Kingdom.
We must serve God with reverence. Though we must not be terrified of God, we should not take His presence for granted. We must not lose our reverence for God. We must place great value on our relationship with Him, on His Word, on the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit and all we have received because of our place in the Kingdom of God.
*Prayer:* _Heavenly Father, you are Eternal, and your Kingdom is Everlasting. Help me to trust you always and in all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen._
