Multitude Monday

Exodus 31:1-11 (NIV) ~

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,  to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.  

Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent—the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand—and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”

As I was having my quiet time this morning, this passage jumped out at me. God chose Bezalel and Oholiab to work on the temple. He filled them with the Holy Spirit and skills and then used their talent to accomplish His goals. The reason it struck a chord with me is that I have the tendency to want to compartmentalize ministry from my creativity in sewing and other areas. 

And yet, I've had multiple conversations with people who have affirmed that God has given me the talent I have and that I am using it for His glory. Sewing pretty things, making delicious creations in the kitchen, my artistic ability are all things that I can use in ministry. Sometimes, I think I need to set them aside so I can get to the real ministry of teaching and writing. Yet, as I look back over my life all these facets of my life are woven together in such a way that it creates a wonderful tapestry.

I love sewing and sometimes I'm doing that to bring in extra money to pay the bills. But I've also used my creations to bless someone else with a gift, or as a means to get out in the community and get to know who my neighbors are. I make delicious meals for us here at home, but I've also made meals for those who are shut-in or sick. I've given gifts from my kitchen to others. I have used my creativity to put together a meaningful worship service or to present God's word in a different way. 

And I think the Lord has anointed me in this way. I was sitting at a craft fair recently when a stranger came up to me and out of the blue said, "God has given you a calling with this." I found it interesting that she would word it that way after meeting me for two minutes.

God has blessed me with the ability to use all of these areas of my life and He has woven them into a beautiful tapestry that I'm using to accomplish His will. And to me, that is the definition of beauty!


This week I am thankful for blessings #3,481 - 3,490.

3481. This man drove 1,200 miles since Wednesday morning. I'm so thankful for him! He's napping here because this was after getting up at 2:30 in the morning to go and get Emily from college. She needed to be out of her dorm room at a certain time in the morning.

3482. A wonderful weekend with all my children at home.

3483. Time with extended family.

3484. The yummy tastes of the holidays.

3485. Getting a head start on Christmas. Because we were going to see them, we took our gifts to our inlaw's home on Thanksgiving. It saved on huge shipping costs.

3486. Safety on the road as we traveled. During most of our trip on Thursday we traveled through lake effect snow bands which meant one moment it would be sunny and then the next there would be very little visibility and heavy snow. 

3487. Quick and easy meals.

3488. Finally getting home and in my own bed last night. A 6 hour round trip to take Emily back to school turned into a 9 hour trip as we came across accident after accident on the Thruway. The traffic was terrible and at times, we could only go 5-7 miles per hour. I was so happy to climb into bed!

3489. A solid night of sleep. I didn't wake up once.

and finally...

3490. Using my talents for God's glory.

P.S. Don't forget to enter my drawing by leaving a message here. I'll pick a winner at the end of the day and post it on tomorrow's blog.