When God led the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt, he called them to do some pretty amazing things. Moses was told by God to follow a particular blueprint to construct the tabernacle. This was an artistic marvel of costly cloth, woodwork, gold, silver, bronze, and precious stones. The garments of the priests, the altars, the lamps, the sacred vessels, and so much more had to be made.
How would this happen? Moses was not a goldsmith. Nor was Moses a construction worker. God had to provide other men, skilled men, to make the job get done.
Exodus 31:1-5 – 1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.
As we look at the Lord’s word to Moses, we see that God knew of the need. And God had already taken action to meet the need. God had set aside a man who had in himself a gift from God, an ability to design and to craft. And that man had the ability to lead other craftsmen to produce the items the Lord required.
This should remind us that the Lord uses many people with many different skills and gifts to accomplish his will. In the church, we need all sorts of people. We need people who are solid teachers. WE need people with the personalities that are strong enough to confront the wayward. WE need people who are gentle enough to comfort the hurting. We need people who are shaped to serve others and people who are wired to lead.
The beautiful thing is that God always prepares his people for what he wants them to do. God will put in the local church body the people with the gifts that they need in order to do the ministry to which the lord is calling. Just as God would not have commanded a tabernacle be built without also gifting a man to mold gold, God will not call a church to a ministry that he does not also gift the members of that body to accomplish.
So, how have you been gifted? What unique personality and skills has the Lord given to you that are for the body? Are you gentle and able to comfort the needy? Are you particularly skilled at music, at art, at financial management, or at taking care of little ones? God has shaped all people differently. When we come to faith in Christ, God also gives us spiritual gifts that he intends that we use for the benefit of the church. You, if you are a Christian, are gifted by God. Find out how. Pray about it. Ask other Christians to tell you how they think you are gifted. Serve, and see where you are uniquely equipped to serve well. Find your gifts and use them for the glory of God and the good of the church.
Pastor Travis Peterson 