God Given Skills

"'Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. … And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make.'"


Exodus 31:2–3, 6

encouragement for today

"Notice what God does: First he creates us with natural talent, then by his Spirit he adds special skill to that so that we can carry out his purposes. And he does it in community. What natural talents were you born with? How might God use them to accomplish his purpose of bringing people to Jesus? How might you team up with others? Any talents can be empowered by the Spirit and used in community for God's purposes. Pray about it!"
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

My morning devotion shares a truth that has personally impacted my life.  In fact, I would like to spinoff this devotion on a situation that I often see happen in church and in ministry.  Too often, people use 'gifting,' or their perception of a lack thereof to keep them from serving in ministry.  We've got it all wrong when we think this way.  We have natural God-given gifts and abilities we are born with.  But then God can add to that special skills to serve His purpose.

For example, when I was children's director, the number one excuse people gave me as why they could not volunteer in children's ministry was because they just weren't 'gifted' to work with children or teach. Now granted, there are some people who certainly should not work with children.  I get that.

However, teaching younger children isn't my natural gift or talent either.  My degree is in mathematics and I spent 10 years as a computer programmer before teaching high school math.  I felt totally uncomfortable around younger ones yet I volunteered with that age group - 18 years to be exact - from the time my children were born.  And you know what happened?  God gave me the gifts and talents needed to serve younger children as both a volunteer parent and later in children's ministry leadership. 

Parental involvement in the church and in a child's spiritual training is so critical.  Children are only in church one hour a week.  The other 168 hours of a child's week are spent outside the church. So if you aren't teaching your children about God during those other 168 hours, then who is?  And if parents aren't willing to serve in children's ministry, who will?  God will bless you with the skills you need if you yield yourself to Him.  It will require effort on your part as well.  But our children are worth the effort.

And reaching the lost is worth the effort as well.  So, the next time you have an opportunity to serve or minister to others, don't whip out the old "I am not gifted" excuse so quickly.  Before giving an answer or responding, pray.  Get God's direction on the matter.  And if the answer you are led to is "yes," then God can help you overcome any hesitations you may have. 

Oh yes, I am also not naturally gifted as a writer.  Math is my forte.  In fact, my standard response to having to write anything is, "Writing isn't my thing.  It is not my gift." Seriously, I have absolutely no writing skills on my own.  But look at what God has done.

Who knew?

Peace and Blessings!
In His Love, Cathy