March 5, 2022

Equipment

Some things we do in life take special equipment. For example, if we bake we need ingredients, measuring cups, bowls, pans or tins, and an oven; if we do woodworking, we need wood, saws, screwdrivers, sanders, drills, hammers, saw horses, etc. If we play sports, there are helmets, special shoes, balls, bats, pucks, and sticks required. If we garden, we need soil, seeds, bulbs, trowels, tilers, and so forth. You get the picture, and you can probably add other activities that require equipment.

In Hebrews 13: 20-21, Paul prays a benediction over this church saying:
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.

This is Paul’s prayer and wish for the church and for us. May we also pray for God to equip us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit so that we may do His will, what pleases Him, the work that moves the Kingdom. The Greek word kataritizo, translated in this passage as equip, means to complete thoroughly, to repair or to adjust. In this Lenten season, may we take a little time to examine ourselves and check out what equipment God is giving to us; to complete thoroughly, repair, and adjust ourselves so that we may be the people God is calling us to be as we seek to do His will.
Take some time to ponder these questions:
What equipment is God giving me?
What equipment is God giving all of us at CGUMC? (and GPUMC?)
Then,
Make a list of the ways God is equipping you and the church.
How will we use our equipment to do the will of God?

Pastor Pam Wells, College Grove UMC