Equipped by Jesus Hebrews 13 20-21

 DEVOTION

TO HEBREWS

EQUIPPED BY JESUS

Heb 13:20-21

20 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, 21 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.

NIV

This prayer having given us peace and encouragement of a resurrection we also see that Jesus our great shepherd equips us with everything good for doing his will and that he may work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus. We think that it might be possible we people could have gotten in the way of being equipped by our great Shepherd. It could be that we have developed what we think is a way to be equipped for ministry thinking that is everything good for doing his will. We wonder how the apostles managed to do everything good for doing his will without attending one of the best bible colleges in the area. We think especially about Peter, Andrew, James, and John who were but simply fishermen, and yet they did everything good for doing the will of God. They followed Jesus and learned from him, which should give us glue as to where we might be fully equipped. First, he is the one who equips us, second, he is the one who works in us so that we are pleasing to him. We wonder if all our fine institutions of higher learning teach people how to follow Jesus, or if they teach various methods of ministry. We would think they certainly teach the bible and all the truths that are within it to equip them to follow Jesus. Yet, they cannot do that equipping with all their fine classes for it is Jesus our great shepherd who equips us. Institutions can teach us a limited amount of knowledge, but they cannot equip us. It is fine and may be necessary to have some knowledge, certainly, we would think that Jesus gave his disciples knowledge about everything good for doing his will. However, it was that fact he was working in them, and he works in us what is pleasing to him. Everything is about following Jesus. He is the one who calls us to follow him and he will make us into what we are not. For those four it was they were to be made into fishers of men, for us that might be the same or whatever Jesus wants us to be so that we are pleasing to him. It simply comes down to following Jesus. Many of our denominational institutions want education to be the passport to doing everything good, or at least to be in approved ministry positions. Jesus is the one who called men to follow him and he is the one who worked in them so they would do what pleased him. Let us follow Jesus, learn from him through the power of the Spirit who dwells within us, working within us, doing that which makes us do everything good and what pleases our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not diminish education, but we would rather follow Jesus and learn at his feet, just as Mary chose what is best.