March 7 I Saturday

Deuteronomy 1-3

Mark 10:32-52

“Then Moses said to the Israelites, ‘See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills…”  —Exodus 35:30-31

The way in which the fullness of the Holy Spirit works in our lives is neither something that brings a higher level of Christian living nor seen supremely on Sundays. Rather, the fullness of the Holy Spirit serves as God’s intended resource for normal Christian living and is seen supremely in the cut and thrust of our lives throughout the week.

One of the first people in Scripture to be described as being filled with the Spirit of God is a man in the Old Testament named Bezalel. He was filled with the Spirit for the task of constructing God’s tabernacle, built so that the Israelites could carry it with them. This was to be God’s holy sanctuary, where the people could meet with Him through the intermediary of the priesthood.

Bezalel was filled with the Spirit of God for all kinds of crafts to make artistic designs from gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones and to work with wood and metal. This is very down-to-earth, practical work. To work with our hands is not something we normally associate with the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit; yet, Bezalel was filled with the Spirit precisely for that reason.

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is something we should be conscious of and experience in the work of our hands as well as our minds. In whatever job we have, there is an eternal dimension and a divine agenda behind the daily grind. If our Christian experience is basically going from a Sunday morning fix to a Sunday morning fix, then we are missing out on the excitement and adventure that God intends for the Christian life. It is, of course, good and necessary to meet on Sundays for worship, instruction and encouragement. But it is actually an equipping, in that we take the Spirit of God and the Lord Jesus with whom we meet in church, and bring Him back into our workplaces, homes and communities.

All the practical working of Bezalel’s hands served as a conduit for God’s glory. This is something we can incorporate into our lives, with an understanding that God’s purpose is for us to become a means to display Himself through us. Our work lives are not simply about putting food on the table, but about having food that never spoils; food that endures eternally, and we can be sure it will involve bringing blessing and benefit to others. It is looking beyond the mundane to the magnificent, and seeing a much bigger picture of why God has placed us where we are to display His glory.

Prayer: Dear Lord, keep me mindful that throughout the week I have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. May His work in me be the means of glorifying You. Thank You, Lord.