Let Us Have Grace

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

I am one of those who believes that every word of God is both inspired and preserved. For that reason, I believe God's message to us lies not only in the words of the Scripture but also in the verb tenses God used. For example, here I see that we are "receiving" a kingdom. "Receiving" is present tense, meaning that, if we are Christians, we are receiving God's kingdom right now! That is not to say that we are able to walk in the kingdom today or even to see it at this present time, but we are receiving it nonetheless. Our actions today are creating the kingdom that we will live and work in for all eternity.

Having said that, the writer goes on to make a statement which should become our prayer to God, "Let us have grace." If what we are doing in this life is creating the environment in which we live for eternity, the writer says we need God to give us more grace!

Why grace? I believe that grace is God giving to us His power, His ability, His desire, and His energy. In short, grace is God doing His work in and through us. I don't know about you, but when I consider that what I am doing today is going to effect me for all eternity, I realize that I need more of God's power, ability, desire, and energy -- the very elements that make up grace. I am weak and stumble, but He is strong and mighty. I fear and tremble, but He gives strength and courage. Even when I try, I fail; but God never does. What I build with my abilities would never make it through the test of fire (1Cor. 3:11-15), but what God can build through me will not only last through eternity, but it will be most glorious!

So let us remember how precious these days are. They are shaping our eternity, and let us pray together that God would give us His grace to use these days to build a most glorious kingdom indeed!