Read with Me
Hebrews 13:20-21 (HCSB)
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—with the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him forever and ever. Amen.
Listen with Me
The writer of Hebrews begins his closing to this letter with a blessing on his readers. This blessing, as could be expected, is very Christ-centered. The entire letter has been focused on helping his readers to remember and better understand who Jesus is and what He has done for them.
The blessing is in the name of the God of peace. The Hebrew word peace, shalom, means so much more than simply a lack of conflict. It carries in its heart the meaning of wholeness in every area of life, physical, mental, emotional, relational and even financial. This kind of “holistic” peace can only come to those who live in a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus.
The writer clearly states that God is the one who raised Jesus, the Great Shepherd, from the dead, reestablishing the eternal covenant with His people and elevating it to the next level, a level not of external compliance with the legal requirements of the law, but a level of internal transformation out of which flow right actions, right attitudes, and right words.
The blessing at this point turns into a prayer with two interrelated requests. The first is a request that God would equip all the believers for everything good for doing His will. The writer acknowledges that the kind of obedience required under both the Old Covenant and the New is beyond the ability of any human being, as are the tasks to which God has called his people. But he is rightly confident that God can provide all that is necessary for both obedience and success.
The second request is that God will work in each person that which is pleasing to Him through Jesus. The work of the gospel is not a work of discipline or training, but of transformation. Without a remaking of the heart, the best that can be achieved by a person through their own efforts is a garden variety legalistic Pharisaism. But with transformation of the heart, made possible by the indwelling Holy Spirit poured out from God’s throne by Jesus Himself, genuine holiness is not only possible, it becomes the norm: “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13 HCSB)
Pray with Me
Father, so often we try to climb the mountain of holiness and righteousness in our own strength, only to be constantly waylaid and shoved back down by inner sinfulness and the storms of temptation. That path ends in frustration, confusion and sometimes in turning away from the hope of ever being able to live a holy life, determining that it must always be an aspirational goal, always pursued but never achieved. But Lord, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, You have provided a direct path to the top of the mountain, a spiritual ski lift to enable us to live a genuinely holy life in Your power. Such a holy life does not spring from our own resources but is powered by transformation at the very center of who we are. Lord, in these confusing and even dangerous times, all Your people need this inner transformation and the holiness and power that flow from it, so that we can successfully do Your will and accomplish the mission You have given us. Fill us anew with your Holy Spirit, melt us, mold us, and fill us so that we can move Your mission forward in Your power today. Amen.