Hebrews 13:20-21 (TPT)
20 Now may the God who brought us peace by raising from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ so that he would be the Great Shepherd of his flock; and by the power of the blood of the eternal covenant 21 may he work perfection into every part of you giving you all that you need to fulfill your destiny. And may he express through you all that is excellent and pleasing [beautiful] to him through your life-union with Jesus the Anointed One who is to receive all glory forever! Amen!
Christ’s death and resurrection sets us up to receive God’s work in making our lives pleasing to him; as we yield this is a picture of worshiping in Spirit and Truth. Certainly, we desire to please God, but only the Spirit can bring the power to accomplish it as we trust and obey him. As well, it is the work of the Spirit to equip us so we can do the work that pleases God; this is a picture of true mission. The Spirit will inspire and lead us into being fruitful with the work of our hands, as well as the message of the Gospel. What a privilege it is to know God is always right there to help us step into the beauty and glory of his plan.
In our humanity, we tend to use our thoughts and ideas to decide how God is going to do things. Afterall, some of us have been Christians for many years and we do have experience, right? But rather than being an advantage, this mindset can be a disadvantage. The Prophet Isaiah reminds us what God said about this very thing, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, we need to remain devoted to doing things God’s way; to allow him to do the work in us and through us.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the many gifts you have bestowed on your children for the benefit of your Kingdom. May we all find our places where we shine and make a difference. Lead and guide us Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.