IF: Gifts Part 2

Last time I wrote that God cares more about his gifts than yours.  True dat.  At IF:Gathering we were encouraged to bravely use our gifts to serve God and those around us.  So, what if you DO have a "gift"?  (Gift in quotes for lots of reasons.  Briefly, so much work goes into honing a "gift" that it's often a building, not a blessing.  For example - I'm a great musician.  No, really!  But what started as a propensity to enjoy music over other forms of entertainment or expression required years of study to learn/hone/articulate.)

So, what if you DO have a gift/talent/passion that you sense God asking you to use?


One of my favorite passages of scripture is in Exodus 31:
   Now 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. “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.“And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you."

It's such a small part of the Exodus story it's easy to miss.  These two men Bezalel and Oholiab were skilled BY GOD in wisdom, understanding, knowledge and craftsmanship  - - - - TO MAKE artistic designs.  In other words, their wisdom, understanding and all that good stuff was purposely designed by God to be spent, be funneled through artistic design.  Wow!  We generally think of wisdom as a strictly spiritual side of ourselves.  Here, God reminds us that his wisdom exists in all manner of ways, all of which He's created.  There are people that God makes wise in order to make a beautiful hinge.  There are people that God makes wise in order to tend a garden.  There are people that God makes wise in order to restock shelves.

And where did these men learn, practice and hone these skills?  In SLAVERY!  These skills were honed, doing what they HAD to do in order to survive.  It was not about thriving in their hearts desire.

Question - do you find yourself in a season that STINKS, a period of slavery?  Are you learning survival skills that you can imagine using for God's glory on the other side?  Not connecting any dots?

Let me ask it this way - what are your top 3 passions?  See if you can connect them to a hurt/injustice/lack of security/unfulfilled need earlier in life.


Are we getting somewhere?  One of the reasons I love music so much is that during a very difficult period in my parents' marriage, music was a unifier.  Music provided escape from their disagreements and disappointments with one another.  As a child, that captured me.  Watching them sit at the piano together working out melodies and lyrics was God's glory filling our home just as He filled the tabernacle.  Is it any wonder that I'm drawn to use music to unify our church?

What are your skills?  Where do they come from?  Recognizing their formative history is a beautiful way to see God's plan.  Bezalel and Oholiab had no idea as they hammered away in Egypt that God was using their slavery to prepare them to build a house for his glory.  How shocked, awed and honored they must have been when Moses came down from Mount Sinai and called them by name, acknowledging their skills and imparting a monumental way to use them.

Identify your skills and where they came from.  Next week we'll tackle that monumental task.