Hebrews 12:26–29:
“And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once
more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.’ And this
expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be
shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may
remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us
show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence
and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”

Observation: Paul
is using powerful language to describe the disciplines and hope of Christians. The things which cannot be shaken refer to God’s eternal
kingdom
to which all Christians belong and by extension, it refers to
those priorities and practices we embrace as we grow more passionate in our
pursuit of Him. What a wonderful promise of His unmovable, unchangeable nature.

Application: As I read this passage promising that shaking
will come to everything that can be shaken, the imagery that came to me was of
a gardener working among flowers and vegetables. As carrots or potatoes, the
good products of a garden, are pulled from the ground, they receive a good
shaking to knock away the clumps of soil that cling to them. So this shaking, while violent, is for a very good purpose:
to cleanse the plant so it can be used for the purpose for which it was
made. 

As I pull weeds from my garden, I give them, too, a good
shaking, but for a different purpose: to assure their death. If I allow any
clump of nurturing soil to remain, roots within those clods have an irritating
way of springing to life again wherever I have tossed the weed. 

So this is God’s good promise for me: He is the Good Gardener,
wholly committed to preparing me for an eternal union with His dear Son. He promises to shake, to violently rock my areas of
complacency
, so my natural tendency to cling to earthiness, might fall
away. The unwise habits or patterns of my life must  be once and for all put to death so what
emerges will be the perfect fruit He intends for my life.

Prayer: Lord, You are indeed the Master Gardener, and I am so
grateful for the shaking You have done and are doing. As You give me fresh
glimpses of what You intend for my life in Christ to be, I choose today to
cooperate with Your shaking. Cleanse me, Lord, knock off all the remaining
clods, so I can be wholly useful in Your kingdom.