Seeds of the Kingdom Daily Devotional 16 August 2022 – Keeping It Secure

Vast amounts of money, time and effort are used these days to protect people, property, and possessions. From the humble padlock on the garden gate to sophisticated surveillance detection and alarm systems, to say nothing of the digital world of passwords, data protection, authenticity checks and the like, security is big business.

I wonder whether we, as Christians, are as keen to protect what God has placed in our hearts, the truths of the Kingdom of Heaven, which Jesus likens to ‘a pearl of great price’ (Matthew 13:44-45).

Throughout Scripture there is much emphasis placed on the importance of holding on firmly to the word of God. Moses instructs the people of Israel, ‘So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine’ (Deuteronomy 11:18). Solomon says, ‘Store my commands in your heart’ (Proverbs 3:1). The Lord Jesus gives a message to the Church at Sardis, ‘Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly’ (Revelation 3:3).

It seems evident that, if we are to live lives that are meaningful, fruitful, and of purpose as the people of God and citizens of the Kingdom of heaven, then we need to treasure, hold on to and protect the truths of Scripture. They form the foundation of our faith and relationship with Him.

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Once we begin to undervalue, undermine, or neglect Scripture, and allow the attitudes, actions, and belief systems of the world to influence our perception of the significance of the Word of God, then we are surely on dangerous ground. We don’t have to look far into the Old Testament to see how the children of Israel, time and time again, turned their backs on God, forsook His word, disobeyed His commandments, and suffered as a consequence.

God hasn’t changed, and rightly expects those who claim allegiance to Him to love and obey Him, and to love and hold fast to His word. For those who do, |He has promised to bless, protect, and prosper (Deuteronomy 11:8-28).

But we live in days where the truths of the Kingdom of the God, as revealed in His word, are under attack. So much of the Bible is being ridiculed and considered as irrelevant. It is, consequently, ignored.

We, who have come to know and love God through Jesus, and who know, love, and trust His word, surely need to be extra vigilant. We need to hold firmly to the truth of God so that we are not enticed and influenced by the spirit of the age to compromise and to dilute the power of the word of God in the interests of political correctness.

Let us take encouragement from the words of Jesus to the church at Thyratira, where the truth was being undermined. Jesus addresses those who were being faithful to Him, and He says, ‘I will ask nothing more of you, except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come’ (Revelation 2:25).
The apostle Paul says, ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly’ (Colossians 3:16).