Good Morning Friends,
“May the God of peace, who through the blood
of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and
may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)
These two brief verses are a prayer for those
to whom the book of Hebrews was written and a benediction for the book of
Hebrews. They contain a number truly significant thoughts.
God is not the author of confusion, turmoil,
and trouble, He is the God of peace. He does not want His children to live in
confusion, turmoil, and trouble, either. When those things are a part of our
lives it is because we are not walking in trust with Him. God longs for us to
live in peace.
Jesus became our great Shepherd at great price
to Him, and to the Father. God made a covenant of love with us, and sealed that
covenant with the blood of His Son! It is in that act of sacrifice that the
shepherding heart of Jesus is most clearly seen. He truly is the Shepherd
willing to lay down His life for the sheep.
The covenant God has made with us is not of a
temporary nature. It is an eternal covenant. We can count on it now and we can
rest assured that it will never be overturned or voided. The covenant is as eternal
as God Himself.
God desires us to do His will, and He does
not leave us without what we need to accomplish it. He charges us to do His will
and then equips us to do it. He asks us to live for Him, doing what pleases
Him, and then it is by His work in us that it is enabled!
This is a benediction meant to bring great
encouragement to those who were experiencing times of distress. Its truths
apply to us, too!
His, by Grace,
Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment