FBC Daily Devotional – March 22, 2021

Faith Baptist Church

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Well, a good Monday to you. We are in another week, coming to the last week of March, aren't we?

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And anxious to see how March is going to go out. It came in pretty decently, you know, that old saying, in like a lion, out like a lamb, or vice versa.

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Well, we'll see how that goes. Looking forward to the month of March winding down, because the beginning of April, we start with Easter, Resurrection Sunday, and that's always, of course, a highlight of the year.

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Well, if you're doing our scripture reading, you're following along in that. You're reading for today in Exodus chapters 30 and 31.

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And I wonder, when you think of somebody who is filled with the

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Spirit, what comes to your mind? What kind, who? Who comes to your mind when you think of someone filled with the

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Spirit? Just wondering about that. Do you think of maybe a particular gifted preacher that you appreciate?

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You, you know, appreciate his messages, always seem to speak to you, and so forth. Maybe you think of somebody who's very effective at evangelism, and has been able to share the gospel with lots of people, and many people have come to Christ.

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Maybe you think of someone who just knows a lot about the Bible, and just has a quality about them that speaks of holiness and true, genuine piety.

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Not the pharisaical false stuff, but I mean just really a godly person, filled with the

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Spirit. Who do you think of as being filled with the Spirit? Maybe someone who just has, oh, just some good insight into life, and the application of Scripture to problems, or issues, or concerns of life.

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So who comes to your mind? I wonder, would you have thought of these two guys in Exodus 31,

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Bezalel and Aholiub? I mean, they're just artisans, they're just craftsmen, they make stuff.

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Would you think of the typical, even Christian woodworker, or welder, or somebody of that caliber to be filled with the

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Spirit? I don't think that someone like that normally just comes into our minds, not unless they also happen to have an awful lot of biblical knowledge and genuine holiness, or godliness about them.

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But listen to what this passage says about these individuals. Remember, the context here is the building of the tabernacle, the bringing together of the elements, and then putting together the different components that are going to go into the tabernacle, the worship center, if you will, for the children of Israel in the wilderness.

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So in giving these instructions, the Lord says this, he spoke to Moses and he says, see, I have called by name

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Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. So this guy, he's of the tribe of Judah, he's not even in the priestly tribe.

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He says, I have filled him, the Lord says, I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge.

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And there you might say, well yeah, see, I mean, that preacher I was thinking about, or that Sunday school teacher, that person who just really has a lot of insight, who knows a lot about the

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Bible and so forth, but yeah, but continue, it's not even what he's talking about. Remember, the Bible hasn't even been written yet.

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He goes on to say, I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cuttings of jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.

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You see what the Lord is saying here? He's saying, I have filled this person, Bezalel, with the

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Holy Spirit so that he can work effectively and craft, work in his craft beautifully and artistically.

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And he goes on to say, indeed, I have appointed with him Aholiub, the son of Ahissamack, of the tribe of Dan.

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Again, you know, not the Levite tribe, not the priest tribe, but the tribe of Dan.

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He says, and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded them.

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So here are these artists, artists, you know, working with these different fabrics and materials and wood and metals, and the

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Lord says, I am filling them with the Spirit, and I am giving them the gift to be able to work their craft in such a way that they can make the things that I'm requiring you to make.

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Now, I take great encouragement in that, and I would too if I were you, because you may think, well, you know, how am

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I filled with the Spirit? How am I controlled by the Spirit? And that's what that idea means.

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To be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit. It doesn't have to do exclusively with living a godly life or knowing a lot of Bible.

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You can be filled with the Spirit, controlled by the Spirit, as the Holy Spirit uses you in your calling, in the the arena of life in which

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God has called you. So you can be a mother who's filled with the Holy Spirit, who is effective at mothering her children, or teaching.

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If you're a homeschooling teacher, in teaching your children, in teaching them effectively, the

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Spirit of God can fill you to be an effective teacher of your children.

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You may be a carpenter, a woodworker. The Holy Spirit can fill you to be an effective woodworker, effective carpenter, an effective welder, an effective mechanic, and an effective office worker.

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Whatever your calling is, however God has called you, to whatever vocation

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God has called you, you can be a Spirit -filled servant of Christ in that vocation.

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Take encouragement in that. Don't feel like a second -class citizen if you're not particularly gifted or skilled in some, shall we say, ministry vocation, like a

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Sunday school teacher, or a pastor, or a

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If God can fill Aholiob and Bezalel with his

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Spirit, to work with textiles, and to work with metals, and to work with these different materials, wood, and so forth, to create what he once created, by God's grace he can use you, fill you with his

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Spirit, to be an effective servant of his, whatever your vocation. So our

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Father and our God, we thank you that you call people in all walks of life, and you equip us to serve you in the walk of life to which you've called us.

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We thank you for your Holy Spirit, who so fills and controls your children in the carrying out of their responsibilities, that they can work their craft, whatever that might be, in such a way that it brings glory to you.

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May we do so. Oh Father, fill us, your children, with your Spirit to be effective workers in your field, in your area of service to which you've called us, and this we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

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All right, well, have a good rest of your Monday, and I hope your week gets off to a great start.