Wednesday, January 26, 2011

A WHOLE LOT OF SHAKING GOING ON!


In HEBREWS 12:25-29 God speaks to us of things that can and cannot be shaken. The reason for the shaking is to reveal that which is of God and that which is not. And only those things that are of God will survive, and those things that are of the flesh will be destroyed.
The Bible tells us about two people who built their homes on different foundations. The wise man built his home on the rock. The foolish man built his home on the sand. Both experienced strong wind and rain that shook their homes. Only the home built on the right foundation survived.
The shaking of things is not always a negative. The disciples in Matthew 10:14 were told to shake the dust from their feet when they left a place that did not receive them. Rejection is a difficult thing to deal with. There are things in our past that try to hold onto us and serve as a constant reminder of a time gone bad. Jesus taught us that sometimes we need to shake the dust off our feet and move on.
Sometimes praying causes a shaking. In Acts 16:19 the Holy Spirit arrived on the scene and a physical manifestation took place. - the jail literally shook. Peter and Silas were released from prison and returned to their companions. In Acts 4:31 there was a prayer meeting that shook the very foundation of a building because of prayer. I have never experienced such a thing but I have been involved in some services where the glory of God was so strong that people thought that they were being shaken. It is a wonderful thing when God is present. The shaking is important, but the results of the shaking are what counts. The result is generally the ability to boldly speak the word of God and do His will in a fuller way.
Even our blessings are shaken together. In Luke 6:38 God speaks of His blessings toward us being shaken . . . so more blessings can fit in! I'm not looking for God just to dabble me with a blessing here and a blessing there. I'm looking for a blessing that is with good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. We want to avoid those things that can be shaken. And we want to cling to those things that cannot be shaken.
As mentioned earlier, there were two people who built their homes on two different foundations. The difference is that the wise man dug deep until he reached a firm foundation. And that foundation is always Christ Jesus!

Let's receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken!
Pastor John J. Dodd