Daily Verse: Hebrews 13:20-21

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.

Imagine how different the verse above would be if we changed the parts “doing his will” and “pleasing to him” to something a little more self-pleasing or self-centered:  “equip you with everything good for doing your will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to each of us.” It sure would take a different tone, wouldn’t it? Yet it would likely fit much better into our society. The author of the text above is praying that God would bless the people with everything that they need to serve God. It does not say “equip you with everything good for doing your own thing” or doing “whatever suits your desires”. The focus in on God, on His will for our lives…not what we want, but what He wants. From the eyes of the world, this is a bizarre concept. And the author continues in asking that God work in the people what is pleasing to God, not what is pleasing to the people. Often times there is a disconnect between what we view as good and what God views as good. But make no mistake, God’s not the one with the distorted definition…it’s us. We are the ones with the malfunction…we are the one’s enticed by sin, pulled away from our main purpose for being. What if we genuinely pursued each day with the sole purpose of doing what is pleasing to the Lord? What if we became so deeply invested is God’s plan that we actually strived to please him with every minute of every day? Whether we are a pastor, a teacher, an accountant, a salesman, a ditch digger, or the guy that stocks the shelves with toilet paper…it can ALL be done to the glory of God…and it can ALL be done in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. Just think of the impact it would make in this world. Not only would we find such an incredible new purpose in our own lives, but we would be positively impacting the lives of others as well. Today, may we embrace the incredible privilege we have in serving the living God, the King of kings, the Lord of lords! To God be the glory!