The phrase “make you perfect” in Hebrews 13:21 is the translation of one Greek word, katartidzo. This word was familiar to the people who received the letter to the Hebrews. Doctors knew it because it meant “to set a broken bone.” To fishermen it meant “to mend a broken net.” To sailors it meant “to outfit a ship for a voyage.” To soldiers it meant “to equip an army for battle.”
Our Saviour wants to equip us for life on earth. He wants to set the “broken bones” in our lives tenderly so that we might walk straight and run our life races successfully. He wants to repair the breaks in the nets so that we might catch fish and win souls.
He wants to equip us for battle and outfit us so that we will not be battered in the storms of life. In brief, He wants to mature us so that He can work in us and through us that which pleases Him and accomplishes His will. The tools God uses to mature and equip His children are His Word, prayer, and the fellowship of the local church.
He also uses individual believers to equip us. Finally, He uses suffering to perfect His children.
Verse for today: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
Also read: Matthew 4:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-10; Ephesians 4:11-12; Galatians 6:1; 1 Peter 5:10.
Action assignment: Make a difference in your life by turning Hebrews 13:21 into a personal prayer today. Pray along these lines: “Lord, make me perfect in every good work to do Thy will. Work in me that which is well-pleasing in Thy sight. Do it through Jesus Christ and may He receive the glory.”
WARREN W. WIERSBE
www.backtothebible.in