Gifted by God (Exodus 31:1–5)

The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.
—Exodus 31:1–5

Are those not amazing verses? God is speaking about this man, Bezalel. In the very next verse, after what I finished reading in verse 6, he says the same thing about a man named Oholiab. Then he refers to all able men and says that he has given them skill, ability, intelligence, knowledge, and craftsmanship to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver, to carve wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.

Exodus 31:1–5 shows how God provides ability and intelligence for our duties.

What a perspective we need on the world when we look around us and see craftsmanship. Think about the house you live in and how it is built. Think about the cars you drive or ride in. Or think about a plane in which you might fly. All the craftsmanship that makes a house, car, plane, or so many other things possible is given as a good gift by God himself. Nothing ultimately comes naturally; it is supplied by God and his Spirit. The ability, intelligence, knowledge, and craftsmanship required to create and manage, to make the world function, all come from him.

So see this in your own life today. Think about any and all work you do today. Or, if you are a student going to school, recognize that all of it depends on God to give you ability, intelligence, knowledge, and craftsmanship. You cannot work today without God providing what you need to work. You cannot learn today without God providing what you need to learn. So live today in dependence on God and in thanksgiving to God for the gifts and skills he gives—not only in your life, but also when you see artistry and craftsmanship in others. When you see others working in good ways, give glory to God for that work, because it is ultimately God who provides it.

Exodus 31:1–5 shows that all work can glorify God.

I also want to make this connection as we pray for unreached peoples. It is so important for us to realize that work is an avenue—a critical avenue—through which the goodness and the gospel of God spread through our lives as we labor in all kinds of domains. It is good that not everyone is a pastor or a leader in the church.

We need doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, and workers of all kinds in many different walks of life and domains—white-collar jobs, blue-collar jobs, whatever they may be. We need followers of Jesus working in ways that bring glory to God and open doors for the gospel to spread in every domain of society. Those doors may also open in unreached places in the world where, as a pastor, I cannot go. I cannot enter many of the unreached places for which we pray, but many of you can through your work.

I think of many people who have taken jobs overseas or whose jobs have taken them overseas—even on short-term work trips. If you are a follower of Jesus, those opportunities are avenues for the gospel to spread through you in many different places. So let us pray accordingly.

God, help us today to work in all kinds of ways—whether going to school, doing a job, or caring for children—whatever it may be. Help us to work with the ability, intelligence, knowledge, gifts, and skills that you provide. God, we need you for everything good we may do today. We praise you for your goodness and for all the work being done around us. And we pray that our work today, in all kinds of ways, would open doors for the gospel to spread through us where we live and around the world to unreached peoples.

Prayer for the Taga People

God, we pray for the Taga people of India—for all 250,000 of them who have yet to be reached with the good news of your love. We pray that in every domain and type of work in which Taga people are found, you would raise up followers of Jesus filled with your Spirit. May they do excellent work by your Spirit in India and Pakistan, and may they share the gospel—the good news of your love, grace, and mercy in Jesus—with them.

O God, help us to work today with all our hearts, as Colossians 3 teaches—not as working for men, but ultimately as working for you, by the grace you provide. In Jesus’s name, we pray according to Exodus 31. Amen.