You Are Equipped To Do Everything Good In Life.
Let me point out first that just as you are, you have potential to become the best version of yourself.
But, that will not happen by accident. You’ve got to be intentional about everything you want to become and do.
In the letter to the Hebrews, the author says these words:
“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
This is a prayer… It is also what the author hoped to see happen in every single Christian… It is what God wants to see happen in your life today.
It is God’s intention for all of us to be equipped with everything good in order to do God’s will, to please and glorify God.
God does the Equipping
God does the equipping!
To acknowledge that God does the equipping means that:
1. God represents the source of your gifts and potential that will never run out.
2. You will become intentional about connecting with God through mediation on a regular basis.
These two things above will propel you for a life of discipline and eventually growth in a lot of areas in your life.
They will help you live at your best every day, knowing that you are connected to a source of creativity and potential that never runs out.
Equipping happens through Jesus Christ
God does the equipping through Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.
Equipping means belonging to the flock with Jesus Christ the Shepherd.
Jesus, Himself, said once that there is only one flock and one shepherd. To belong to the flock requires accepting and believing in the gospel.
There is power in the blood of Jesus Christ. 4 things happen through the blood of the lamb of God:
1. We are set free from sin. There is no bondage. Just as the people of Israel were set free from the Egyptians. So are we from sin or any kind of bondage.
2. We have victory over the devil. According to Revelation 12: 11, through the blood of the lamb, we will overcome the devil, Satan and the deceiver of the world.
3. We are protected. When the angel of destruction walked through Egypt, according to Exodus 12: 21-32, the people were protected because of the sign of the blood on their house doors.
4. We are a part of the eternal covenant. Through Jesus’ death, we have been reconciled to God and saved by His life. God claims us as His sons and daughters through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Equipping produces 3 things in us
Belong to God’s flock and now with the experience of Jesus’ blood, there are 3 important gifts we receive from God.
These 3 essential gifts equip us with all what we need in order to be best version of ourselves. Nothing can be accomplished in your life without the gifts with which God equips you.
1. God gives us Power
Power means the ability or the right to control and influence.
In real life, so often, we think that we lose control over things. Someone, however, said that everything may be taken from you, but except one. This is your ability to choose how to respond to what happens to you.
That’s power. It is something that is magnified through faith in Jesus Christ.
Believing in God gives you power in two forms:
1. You receive power to become a child of God. (John 1: 12)
2. You receive power to become God’s witness through the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1: 8)
Power you receive from God helps you control how you respond to circumstances and events in your life. Actually, having the Holy Spirit in your life, you also experience the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23).
2. God gives us Will
The other gift we receiving from God as He equips us for life is will. This is the ability to choose and desire. It also implies determination or persistence.
This is God’s work. God helps us will and work for His own good pleasure.
With “power” and “will,” you will not give up. You become unstoppable. Nothing or no one will kill your passion for God and God’s kingdom.
3. God gives us Strength
The third thing God equips us with is strength. This has to do with resistance. You become unbreakable. No force, no power, nothing or no one shall be able to break you.
You become able to productively handle problems, crises and tragedies that come your way. You feel like you can do all things.
The source of your strength echoes what the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians: “I can do all things because Christ gives me strength.”
3 gifts that God gives us create enthusiasm in our lives. Enthusiasm isn’t just because you have a passion for something. First, it is because you know that your life is about serving God. Second, it is because you have purpose, which is to love God and people. The apostle Paul puts it this way: “
We need equipping to do everything good
God equips us with power, will and strength to do everything good.
Everything good in life is about 3 things:
- To do God’s will,
- To please God and
- To glorify God.
This is about a lifestyle that is shaped by values drawn on the Bible. It is choosing to uphold Biblical morality and spirituality that may sometimes be countercultural.
It is to make God smile as we love and serve one another. It is to be intentional about clarifying on priorities in our lives, which honor God.
This blog post is a reflection drawn on the sermon, Equipped and Gifted for Life, from the series, How To Serve God. Click to listen to the full audio sermon.
