Devotional 15 August 2025

The benediction of Hebrews begins not with us, but with God, the “God of peace” (Rom 15:33; Phil 4:9). This peace is not mere absence of conflict; it is the end of our rebellion and the granting of rest from striving to earn God’s favor (Heb 4:9–10). This God vindicated the faith of Jesus by raising Him from the dead (Acts 2:24; 17:31), proving Him to be the “great shepherd of the sheep” (Ps 23:1; Ezek 34:23; John 10:11). His resurrection confirms that the Shepherd who leads us has already walked the path of perfect trust in the Father (Heb 12:2).

From this unshakable foundation, the prayer moves to what God does in His people: He equips us “with everything good” to do His will (2 Tim 3:16–17; Eph 2:10). This is more than providing resources, it is God Himself “working in us that which is pleasing in His sight” (Phil 2:13). The same Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep also trains them for the work of His Kingdom, delighting in their obedience rather than holding their past rebellion against them (Mic 7:18–19).

And yet, both the equipping and the obedience are “through Jesus Christ” (John 15:5; Col 1:18). From start to finish, the glory belongs to Him. Orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy, and orthopraxy loops back into doxology, “to whom be glory forever and ever” (Jude 25; Rev 5:13). This is the pattern of the Kingdom: right belief fuels Spirit-enabled living, and such living fuels everlasting praise.

Let us then live as citizens of this Kingdom, walking in the Shepherd’s steps, equipped by His power, pleasing in His sight, and rejoicing that all glory returns to Him.