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#TuesdayDevtion: Hebrews 13:20-25

#TuesdayDevtion: Hebrews 13:20-25

Date: 03. 11. 2020

There is a repeating here in the letter to the Hebrews 13:20 of the supremacy of Jesus. As a response to the great power of Jesus resurrection, filling our lives, we are encouraged to avail ourselves of “everything good for doing His will”. We have God Himself ready and eager to pour out everything good into our lives. What does this mean? 

Peter declares in 2 Peter 1:3 – 4 a very similar message as this passage of Hebrews: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Is it not amazing that God is eager and ready to pour His goodness and power into our lives by means of His Holy Spirit? This is a huge blessing and privilege of being a Christian! 

Peter specifically commands us with the power of God to intentionally add certain virtues into our lives. In 2 Peter 3:5-6 he states: “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Having these qualities in increasing measure keeps us from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. God wants to equip us with everything good for doing his will and works in us what is pleasing to him (see Hebrews 13:20-21). 

Why does God want to work in us like this? Because He has chosen us to do His will. See verse 21. He is pleased when His people grow up and mature. He does not want us to remain immature!

God also wants to fill us because Christians may face persecution and hardship for their faith. In verse 23 the writer casually mentions that Timothy had been released and he hopes to visit the congregations. He was not making a big deal out of Timothy’s imprisonment. This suggests that imprisonment was a common and unexceptional experience in the life of the New Testament Christian. 

We therefore need the Holy Spirit of God, to fill us with His Peace (see verse 20 again) in order to be able to overcome the persecution and trouble of lives in the world.

 Suggested prayer: 

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, equip me with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in me what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.

Amen

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