Giving Your Talents - April 21

Read Exodus 35:30-35, 36:1

Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. And he inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer. Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all the LORD has commanded."

Reflect

According to today’s passage, who is the source of our talents, skills, and abilities?

If you regularly follow Back to the Bible, you may recognize some of the names, faces, and voices of our on-air talent. You can watch most of our content in video form or you can listen to the audio in podcast form. The people talking to you on-screen or on-air serve in a very noticeable role for our ministry.

But have you ever thought about how many people serve at Back to the Bible in just as important but less visible roles? The reality is, our ministry would not be possible without those who serve the Lord behind the scenes. We have people who are skilled in technology including graphic design, web design, photography, videography, and social media. We have people who excel in research, statistics, data analysis, and marketing. We have people who are gifted at business administration, human resources, finances, ministry relations, project management, content development, writing, and editing. And, of course, we have people who are very knowledgeable in Scripture and theology.

I am sure I’m missing something but my point is simply that in order to do what God has called us to do in our day and in our age, it takes a diverse group of highly skilled people who are willing to give their talents to the Lord’s service.

Today, we are looking at how God invited the Israelites to participate in the building of His tabernacle. Earlier in Exodus, God commanded Moses to ask the Israelites to give their treasure to God (Exodus 25:1-8). In today’s passage, we see that God equipped His people with specific skill sets in order to be able to accomplish the great task that He set before them.

Two men, Bezalel and Oholiab, were specifically mentioned as being gifted by God to oversee the construction of the tabernacle. Verse 31 says that the Lord “filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship…” In other words, Bezalel and Oholiab were not special because of anything they could do in and of themselves. They were set apart for God’s work because the Spirit of God equipped them with their talents. Bezalel and Oholiab were responsible to steward their spiritual gifts well so that they could teach and lead all of the other craftsmen to complete the tabernacle according to God’s instructions.

God still equips His people today to do His work. Apart from Him we can’t accomplish anything with eternal significance (John 15:5). In 1 Corinthians 12:1-13, the apostle Paul taught about the spiritual gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ. He wrote: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

The body of believers, the church, has been called to participate in building God’s kingdom. As Warren Wiersbe put it: “The Jews built a tent that long ago turned to dust, but we’re helping to build a ‘habitation of God in the Spirit’ (Ephesians 2:22) that will glorify God eternally.” We all have different roles to play and different spiritual gifts and abilities to offer in His service. But our treasure isn’t the only thing we can offer God. We can offer our talents as well. After all, He’s the one who gave them to us in the first place.

Respond

Lord, thank You for equipping me to do Your work. I know that every talent, skill, or ability I have is a gift from You. Help me to use the gifts You’ve given me for Your glory, not my own. What a privilege to participate in building Your kingdom! Amen.

Reveal

Prayerfully consider how the Spirit has specially equipped You. Find a way to give your talents to the Lord by using your gifts to serve in His name and for His glory.