The Answers

Answers to some deep questions...

"Now may the God of peace...equip you with
everything good that you may do his will, 
working in us that which is pleasing in his sight."

Who equips you?  The God of peace
What does he equip you with?  Everything good
Why does he equip you? So you can do His will
Who works to make you pleasing to God?--God

Reader, the pressure is off! Grab this verse by faith
and run the race that is set before you!

It really is--all about Him.

The Eternal Covenant

As we continue to look at Hebrews 13: 20

"Now may the God of peace who brought again from 
the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of 
the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant..."

Yesterday Glen and I pondered this with the Greek
open. However, I will not bore you with those
details!

Hebrews 9:12 spells out the eternal blood covenant:

"...he (Jesus) entered once for all into the holy places,
not by means of the blood of goats and calves but
by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal
redemption."

God secured an eternal redemption for us through an
eternal blood covenant--a covenant that was not only
instituted by God but is kept by God. This is awesome,
but have we lost the wonder of it?

OK, here is the hundred dollar question: Reader, have
you accepted Christ by faith but now strive to keep up
your end of the bargain by doing good works?
How is that working for you?

Jesus Speaks

Not long ago a young friend and I were meditating in
Heb 13:20. In the process I looked back at Ps 23 and
as I read it over I pictured Jesus on a hillside in Galilee
praying to His Shepherd Dad. Perhaps Jesus prayed
this Psalm many times as He walked through life here
on earth. Things came at Him fast the last three years,
but especially the last week of His life.

"The Lord is my shepherd...
I shall not want...
You lead me in paths of righteousness...
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...
I will fear no evil...
You Father, My Shepherd, are with Me...."

The "Word" speaks to God out of the Word. Perhaps
scripture was spoken as the Trinity talked together in
the Eternals before time began...

Reader, parts of this blog may stretch you a bit, but
it also may give you some new things to consider!

The Great Shepherd

Continuing in Hebrews 13:20,21

'...the great shepherd of the sheep...,'

Glen and I had a discussion as to whether the
great shepherd was the Dad or the Son. The
Greek indicates it refers to the Son. So, we find
that the Lamb of God is also the great Shepherd.
What does this great One do for us according to
Psalm 23?

He meets our basic needs for love, worth,
      acceptance, adequacy, and safety
He feeds and waters us--the pause that refreshes
He protects and leads
He provides the table in the driest of deserts
He fills our cups to overflowing--during lack
His goodness and mercy follow us
We shall dwell with Him forever!!!!!

Reader, you probably know this, but isn't it
uplifting on a Monday morning to review the
tenderness and merciful care of the great
Shepherd?

Peace and Power

"Now may the God of peace who brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ...

I tend to have an emotional response to the word
'peace'--passive, make no waves, avoid conflict,
weak. Have I been brain washed by the culture?
But, here we see that the God of peace calls His
dead Son out of the grave. It is not a spiritual
resurrection but a bodily resurrection including
an earthquake, a moved stone, a terrified guard,
and an empty tomb.

Dear reader, God your Father has the power to
call to life that which is dead. As Christians we
have experienced a spiritual transformation, but
scripture says: "If we have been united with Him
in a death like his, we shall certainly be united
with him in a resurrection like his." (Rom 6:5)
One day, perhaps soon, we too will experience
a bodily resurrection just as Jesus did.

May the God of Peace...

'Now may the God of peace...' (Heb 13:20)

The God I love and serve is THE God of peace. Can
you name another god who is called a god of peace?
In the greek it means, 'set at one again, quietness, rest, 
prosperity.'  In Hebrew the word is Shalom and means,
'to be safe, to rest safely, to be wholly well, happy, to
have good health, to be completed, to be at peace.'

'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace (shalom, shalom)
whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusts in
Thee.' (Is 26:3)

I sit here drinking a cup of tea as I try to warp my mind
and my heart around this. I once heard a sermon, no, it
was four sermons, each lasting an hour, on this one verse.
The speaker, Malcolm Smith, had spent weeks meditating
in one verse. I spent weeks soaking up the message.

The God of peace dwells within me, you. He is our
resource for the whole definition of peace: In Him is
intimate fellowship; fullness of life. We are not fatherless.
We are not connected to a disconnected God. Glory!

Website:
http://www.hisvictoriousindwelling.com

A Good Word

At the end of Hebrews comes the most fantastic
blessing:

'Now may the God of peace who brought again
from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great 
shepherd of the sheep, 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'
(Heb 13:20,21)

I was just a little girl when the retired pastor took
the pulpit between pastors. Each week he would
speak this blessing over us in a deep confident voice.
It touched my heart and I can still hear his voice. I
met this man years later. He was old, unable to work,
depressed. He had lost his focus. He had forgotten
about that 'great shepherd of the sheep who worked 
in him that which was well pleasing in his sight.'

I need this word. You may need this word. So, I
will meditate on it and break it down and together
we will be strengthened to do 'that which is pleasing
in his sight.'