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)
After uttering one of the most amazing benedictions in all of sacred Scripture, Paul tells us that our Lord Jesus is our Eternal Equipment Manager. Having spent most of my life working with and coaching athletes, I absolutely love this picture of our Lord Jesus! All those who, by grace through faith, are in Christ have been equipped by Christ to do everything good that we are called to do for the glory of God, the expansion of His kingdom, and the human flourishing of others.
You see, God did not save us to live an average life . . . a life lived as far from the bottom as it is from the top. We are saved to live in a way that brings honor and glory and praise to Jesus. Now, that does not mean we will live perfectly! Everything we do we will do imperfectly, but we are to do it with the goal of pointing others to Jesus while expanding the cause of His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
We must remember that the grace that saves us also sanctifies us. God’s grace equips us for every good work. God’s grace changes our wants, our wills, and our witness. The more time we spend meditating on and marinating in the Word of God, the better we will understand His will for our lives and the better we will be able to live that out in His strength.
One final thing. Don’t forget that when you mess things up — and you will — you have a Savior who loves you unconditionally and has already forgiven you completely. Let that truth set you free to live for the glory of your Eternal Equipment Manager.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 