“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Angie, who was a new Christian, read this powerful benediction in her Bible, and she was deeply troubled. In fact, she was afraid that perhaps her recent decision to trust Christ for salvation somehow was not real. Coming early to the ladies’ Bible study, she said to Jane, “I am so glad that you are here early. I read something that has me scared. Hebrews 13:21 says that I am to be ‘perfect in every good work,’ and believe me, Jane, I am not perfect. Am I really and truly saved?” The leader of the ladies’ Bible study, Jane, had walked with the Lord for many years. Putting her hand on Angie’s trembling hand, Jane tenderly said, “Honey, calm down. You have to understand what the word ‘perfect’ means in that verse. It doesn’t mean sinless or perfect in the sense of never making a mistake. That word means “to be complete, repaired from a broken condition, and equipped.” There is only one Who is perfect, and it is not me or you!” It was a wonderful lesson learned by Angie. Jane continued, “But there is a tremendous lesson to be learned-something I learned the hard way a number of years ago. Let me tell you about the day…..” and we will pick this up right here tomorrow.

For today:  Aren’t you thrilled for the way that the Lord has worked in your life?