God has ‘CALLED’ us ‘BY NAME’ to do ‘HIS WORK’!
January
28 Bible Reading: Exodus Chapters 31-33
God has ‘CALLED’ us ‘BY NAME’ to do ‘HIS WORK’!
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "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, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner
of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in
bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all
manner of workmanship. And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son
of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all
who are gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded
you." (Exodus 31:1-6)
In the above
passage we read that God personally appointed
two gifted artisans, Bezalel and Aholiab, to construct the tabernacle and all
its furniture calling them by name
(v. 2), endowing them with ability and talent (v. 3), and giving them specific
work to do (vv. 4-5) that included supervising other workers in this holy assignment
(v. 6). Bezalel and Aholiab were gifted artisans, but they needed God’s calling and enabling before they could do the
work to please Him!
The
Israelites, who had been masons and bricklayers in Egypt, were not qualified
for highly specialized workmanship. However, Bezalel and Aholiab were uniquely
gifted and chosen of God for the crucial tasks of fashioning and constructing
the tabernacle. Even though these two men had nothing to do with the priestly,
teaching, or prophetic offices, they
still needed the special infilling of God’s Spirit for their craftsmanship
(v. 3). God’s Spirit enhanced these men’s native abilities with wisdom to fulfill His instructions; understanding to solve the project’s
complex problems; and skill to
accomplish the project with accuracy.
As God’s
children, we all have unique contributions to make in God’s kingdom, and that
must be made in the power of God’s Spirit
(Rom. 12:3–8) who bestows all gifts and abilities upon us. It is important for
us to note that when God calls us He will fill us with “the Spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge”
(see 1 Kings 7:13, 14; Luke 1:5; Acts 10:38; 5:4; 6:3). When God wants to get a
job done, He calls workers, equips them, and gives them the plan for the task in order to help them and provides
the needed resources for the task.
Did you ever stop to think that God
knows you intimately in connection with the skills and tasks that He has
assigned to you, and that God has called you ‘by name’ for His purposes? God has given you specific talents
because He wants you to accomplish specific work for His Kingdom. You should
gauge your personal abilities with the understanding that they are specific
gifts from God. They should not to be taken for granted, viewed with pride, or
looked down on when compared with others’ abilities (1 Cor. 4:7; 2 Cor. 10:12).
Rather, you should utilize your skills and abilities for His glory and building
up His Church on this earth.
Do you know what skills and abilities
God has given you? Are you using them for His glory today?
