December 8 – The leap of faith

Now may the God of peace who by the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, equip you with every good thing to do his will, working in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21 NET)

The fact that God was able to raise Jesus back from the dead, was because He had a sinless death.  His blood was pure and uncontaminated by evil.  Death and disease are products of sin, so Jesus’ sinless death could not keep him in the grave.  He was raised up, and because He didn’t die for His own sins but for ours, we can now be raised up to live as children of God forever – if we choose to live by the terms of salvation.  Repent. Die to our old life.  Live in obedience to Jesus as our Lord.  This wonderful news can never stop being taught!

God’s promise is to equip us with every good thing to do His will, and His will for each of us is to pick up our cross daily and follow Him.  If our cross today is to determine a miracle despite all the odds, to deny the negative thoughts in our minds and to fast and pray, then God will equip us with the ability to do that and see the miracle through.  If our cross for the day is to deny our selfish tendencies and to reach out to that difficult person and pray for them, God will equip us to have the right words and spirit to touch their hearts so that their faith can be strengthened.  And if our cross is to give up old habits and attitudes that have blocked God, then He will make us more than able to do so… but we have to believe in His promise and go for it before we feel Him equipping us.

Wherever life takes us, God has tasks and challenges that He wants us to take on with boldness and assurance that He will make us able.  As parents we have always urged our children to do what they’ve never tried before, encouraging them to believe that they can learn a skill or understand a lesson that may seem too tough for them at the outset.  God is far better than we are, because He not only teaches, he enables us and equips us to do whatever we need.  Sometimes obeying God feels like we are jumping out of a plane at 5000 feet with nothing and no one to break our fall.  But as we take that leap of faith, we find that His parachute is strapped to us, and that we are strapped to Him!  And yet without that leap, we’ll never know the power and extent of His love and protection for us.  We’ll never have that amazing lesson of faith that He wants us to learn.

Next time God is bringing you to face a challenge, remember that He will equip you just at the moment that you need to see His will manifest in your life.  Take the leap and trust that you will become pleasing to Him through Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep.