Equipped and Ready by Gloria Kuykendall

“Now 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 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” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV).

In the days before and the weeks after Hurricane Helene over a year ago, emergency crews from the federal and state governments, as well as other agencies such as Samaritan’s Purse and church-funded groups, have shown the American people what it means to be equipped and ready. Whether they are professionally involved in responding to disasters or trained volunteers who work in teams such as Disaster Relief, they are ready to help where needed. No doubt they spend hours before the disaster getting tools and supplies ready so that there is no delay after the storm. They are equipped and ready.

Are you?

No, I don’t mean for you to grab your chainsaw or gas up your helicopter and head for the mountains, although if you’re able, maybe you should. I’m really talking about being spiritually ready for the future God has planned for you. We need to be equipped and ready to carry out our mission as citizens of the kingdom of God.

The writer of Hebrews ends his letter with the benediction, “Now may the God of peace…equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him” (Heb. 13:20-21). Note that the writer’s main concern is not for his readers’ welfare, that is, whether they are comfortable and having a good time. Instead, he focuses on what God is doing in their lives to get them ready to do “what is pleasing to Him” rather than what is pleasing to themselves.

Lately I’ve noticed that we tend to tell others how “blessed” we are, referring to what we have that makes our lives comfortable, happy, and easy. I am so “blessed” to have a nice home, decent income, beautiful grandchildren, family nearby, a thriving community, a wonderful church family, many friends (did I mention the grandbabies?), but I suspect that God does not give me all those things just because I am a saintly Christian lady (haha!) or even a nice person.

Those blessings come with a command or two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37, 39). Nowhere in the Bible does God promise a pleasant life with all the modern conveniences, all in accordance with our will, not His. Such a life is rather self-centered and gratifying to the flesh, not a life dedicated to serving our Savior. We should be using our blessings to carry out God’s purposes. If you feel your toes being stepped on, let me tell you that mine are, too. I know that I do not concern myself with “what is pleasing to Him” to the extent that I should.

I am equipped, but am I ready? Not as much as I should be. Are you?

But if we go back for a closer look at the passage from Hebrews, we find that God is 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” (Heb. 13:20). The peace of God (you know, the kind that “surpasses all understanding” [Phil. 4:7]) comes about through love, and it is precisely God’s love that has set up the “eternal covenant,” the ultimate blood sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. So the Son of God, risen from the dead, now leads all His sheep to everlasting life: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life…” (1 John 5:11-12a). We have peace through God’s love which gives us eternal life.

Meanwhile, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are given everything we need, for God equips us “with everything good for doing His will” (Heb. 13:21a). We are given spiritual gifts and power and material means to accomplish His purpose for our lives. So those blessings I mentioned before are intended to be used for His glory, not ours. Everything we have is God’s, not ours. May we be good stewards of our blessings.

Finally, the writer of Hebrews prays that God will “work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory for ever and ever” (Heb. 13:21b), anticipating how the Lord will guide us in following His will. He asks God to not only give us “everything for doing His will” but to also “work in us,” showing the path we need to follow. Just as the emergency crews jump in their trucks, check their GPS, and go where they are needed, we are to respond with our equipment (that “everything good”) when we have the opportunity. We do it for His glory, not ours.

Can you imagine a group of firefighters or a Disaster Relief chainsaw team not answering a call for help? Of course not. And neither should we hold back from doing the Lord’s will when He calls us. We are equipped, so we should be ready. If you’re wondering what He wants you to do, just do what He has put in front of you. We are already in place where God wants us to be, and if He wants you to move on to something else, He will nudge you in that direction. Actively seek His path and He will shine a light on it.

Be equipped and ready. I’ll be praying for you.