20Now 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, 21equip 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 (emphasis)
As I grow as a husband, I increase in opportunities to fix things. Minor car repairs. Appliance repairs. Things like that. Either I am going to call a pro or I am going to have at this thing! Won’t my wife be happy if I can somehow fix this appliance and decrease her stress?!
In moments like that I remember what my dad always taught me. “There’s nothing like having the right tool. Half of the job is just having the right tool to use.”
And so I have over the years collected tools in my garage for various tasks I might face. I want to be equipped for what I might face. And that is what our verse is speaking about. Let’s unpack it.
- It is most important that I do the will of God.
- But in my sinful selfishness, I naturally don’t have the ability to do this.
- I require God to equip me with what is necessary for the task.
- It is also of most importance that I am pleasing to God.
- I also don’t naturally have this quality in me. My default setting is selfish.
- I require God to first work in me before I can live a life that pleases Him.
- God has equipped you and me for the greatest task of all.
- The impossible now becomes possible, because in Jesus, God has made it possible.
- You can obey God and give Him glory, because God is working in you and through your story.
- This perspective causes me to respond with gratitude and to have hope. How about you?–JMB
Joel M Bradshaw 
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