“Spirit-Filled Craftsmen!” – FBC Morning Light (2/7/2024)

Well, a good Wednesday morning to you. I hope your week is going well thus far. I'm wondering what your career vocation is, your occupation in life. Would it happen to be one of those craftsman type of trades?

Well, if so, I especially want to encourage you today in this passage of Scripture that we find in Exodus chapter 31. I thank the Lord for those in our congregation who are craftsmen. They know how to build things, they know how to shape and mold things, know how to work with their hands, and just take some raw materials of stuff and turn it into something nice and attractive and of good quality.

I'm grateful for people who have those kinds of skills. But what I want us to see today is something that may be a little bit surprising to us. In Exodus 31, it's about time to build the tabernacle, to put all of the pieces together.

The Lord is really just at this point giving instructions on what needs to be constructed and how it needs to be done. But he says, after describing all the different pieces of furniture and so forth, he says in verse 2 of chapter 31, the Lord says to Moses, see, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding and knowledge.

Now, let me pause there. Usually when you hear that kind of description of God's filling of someone, you think of a preacher, don't you? An evangelist, or a missionary, or somebody who's been commissioned, like the Apostle Paul or Peter or John, to go proclaim the gospel and take the good news of salvation to the lost, or preach in a congregation.

Those are the people who are filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding and knowledge. But listen to what it says next. The Lord says, I've filled him, Bezalel, with the Spirit of God in wisdom and understanding and knowledge and in all manner of workmanship to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze and cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.

Do you get the significance of that? What that's telling us is that it's not just preachers and missionaries and evangelists that God fills with his Spirit to give him wisdom and understanding and knowledge, it's you.

He will so use you. If you have some kind of skill, playing a musical instrument, taking a board and creating something with that piece of wood or metal or a stone or whatever the case may be, you have ability to work with your hands or to play with an instrument with your fingers or whatever.

Have you stopped to think that that ability that you have is one that God has graciously given to you? Have you stopped to give him thanks for that gift, for that ability? Let me take it a step further.

Bezalel was called of God to employ those gifts, those abilities, that skill, that wisdom, that understanding, and that knowledge in all workmanship. He was called to use that for God's glory, to make these things and craft these things according to the way God designed them to be made, but for God's purposes and for God's glory.

What I want us to see is that whatever skill God happens to give us is ultimately to be dedicated to him for his glory, for his use as he sees fit. Maybe you have some skills that are just kind of...well, you're using them in your trade, you're using them as you go about your day-to-day work, but are you using them to the glory of God?

Are there ways that you can employ those things, those gifts, that ability? Employ those things in a way that will more clearly and directly point people to your God, to your Savior, and bring glory to him.

I trust you'll give some thought to that, and look for ways that you can employ your gifts for the glory of God and to his praise. Our Father and our God, we thank you for how you equip people, and mold and shape them, and train them, and give them the skills that they can take that training and use those skills and gifts to bring glory to you.

Help us all to give our gifts to you, to be used as you see fit. In this we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Have a good Wednesday. I trust the rest of your day goes well, and God bless you in it.