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Topic: Grace For Service
[DCLM Daily Manna 12 December 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Hebrews 12:18-29
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Key Verse: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” – (Hebrews 12:28).
MESSAGE:
Those who find themselves serving in the court and palaces of great empires of old considered themselves highly privileged. But then, they soon realised how very delicate and precarious their positions were. A little offending act or misdeed could spell doom for them. They could either be jailed, banished for life or pay the ultimate price. Hence, they carried out their service with very well calculated steps and precision.
The privileges and grace for service in the New Testament dispensation are here contrasted with the experiences of the Old Testament believers especially in the wilderness. There were strict rules and restrictions guiding their relationship with the Lord and service to Him. They could not afford to be careless or fail to follow due process as that may spell doom for them.
The New Testament era is a lot different because it is characterised by grace. This does not mean that there is a relaxation or lowering of God’s standards and demands. But there is a divine enablement that helps the believer today to serve God more acceptably. The grace of today does not absolve the believer from the responsibility of living in the fear and reverence of God. It is not a license for careless living. Rather, today’s believers must do better than those of the Old Testament in their service to the Lord.
God is God and remains eternally unchanging. His stand against sin and spiritually casual living is still the same. He is still a consuming Fire. We should therefore ask for grace daily so that we may please Him always and that our service may be acceptable unto Him. God’s grace must not be taken for granted.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Grace does not make us lawless.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Corinthians 2:7-9
