Unshakeable
What do you consider to be unshakeable in your life?
Verse of the Day
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe”
Today’s Devotional
We need to back up. The verses prior help me to understand the context of today’s verse.
‘When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.’ (Hebrews 12:26-28)
Someday God will shake things up. Big time. The shaking and removal will happen on earth and in the heavens. And we have no idea when and how this will happen. When it does happen, the only things that will remain will be the “unshakeable things”. So what are the unshakeable things and how are we receiving them?
God’s love for His created beings is unshakeable. God’s Kingdom is built and established on His love for us. The Law from the Old Testament was given out of love. The sacrifice of Jesus for our sins was done because of God’s love for us and His desire to be reunited with us permanently. When we receive God’s love for us, it fills us up and pours out of our lives onto others. If we want to survive the “shaking”, we need to be a part of God’s Kingdom, which is all based in God’s love for you. It’s a love we accept when we accept Jesus as Lord.
Are you grateful for God’s love for you? How often do you stop to really think about how much God loves you? About how much effort He went to in order to prove His love for you?
When we can truly grasp how much God loves us, it should drive us to our knees in gratitude. From that humble posture of gratitude, THEN we can serve and worship. We no longer serve out of obligation. We worship because without expressing our reverence, awe, and gratitude for our God we might explode.
In the human world, I can see a big difference between people who are secure in the fact that they are loved by others and people who are not secure. Perhaps this holds true in the spiritual realm as well. People who are completely secure in God’s love for them are some of the happiest and most fruitful people. These people are also incredibly quick to express their gratitude to God and to other humans. They easily give God all the glory.
As I am writing these words today, I am being convicted that I need to start my day with the knowledge that I am absolutely and completely loved, exactly as I am today, by the God who created me. And as I let that truth sink into my heart, my response needs to be one of humble thanks for His love. I’ve met me. I am not the easiest person to love. But I am learning that I do not have to completely understand something to be grateful for it.
Today’s Gratitude Challenge 1: Since we are studying God’s love today, I want you to think of a tangible way that God has expressed His love for you, write it down, and express your thanks to Him. “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
Today’s Gratitude Challenge 2: Have you ever thought to be grateful for the unknown? The unknown is often something we fear, but what if we changed our perspective on that? The way that God is going to shake the earth and heavens is unknown to me, but I can be grateful for His sovereignty in all the things that I don’t know or simply can’t understand. Being willing to be grateful for the unknowns in your life is a beautiful expression of trust.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How grateful are you for God’s unrelenting, unshakeable love for you?
How does gratitude for God’s love shift your perspective of service to others and worshiping God?
What other parts of God’s Kingdom are unshakeable?
Think of a tangible way that God has expressed His love for you, write it down, and express your thanks to Him.
What specifically is unknown to you and how can you be grateful for that?