This is in Exodus 31 when God is telling Moses about making the ark and everything that will surround it. Finally he tells Moses who exactly is to build all this stuff (and man is it a lot of stuff!) and this is what God says about this man.
"And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship." - Exodus 31:3-5
And I just think how amazing it must have felt to that man and the other artisans to be building things for GOD! Sometimes, I'll be doing something, whether an act of service, a project, an event, and I KNOW it is for God's glory. The feeling of that is beyond any good feeling I get when I do something because I think it's the "right" thing to do or am motivated by something else, not God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." And if we believe that God gives us our talents and the ability to do the things we do everyday, then why do we not praise Him and give thanks for those things? And praise Him and give glory to Him through those things?
It's not as if God is asking each of us to take up a cross of missionary, ministry, or church work and use our talents in that way. Those artisans were just that, artisans, as their profession, as in that is what they did all day for other people, not just God's alter. I don't believe God asks all of us to specifically work for a church or be a missionary, however, He asks us to us what we have for His glory. What does that mean to and for you? I do believe that if you ask God He will reveal that to you. In my life it has meant using my hospitality skills and knowledge for campus ministry, but also things like being a light to the others at the restaurant I used to work at and not going along with the normal restaurant culture, as well as being a light in my hospitality management classes. Basically, my thoughts lately have consisted a lot of evaluating the things I spend time doing: school, work, activities, friends, hobbies, time-wasting schemes, talents etc - and putting them before God saying you are in control of all this anyway, so please help me stop trying to control all that I'm doing and please Jesus, show me what you would have me do with all of it as you are the one who gave it all to me in the first place.
It's not easy, but I can tell you from experience a couple things about it. 1. it makes life a lot more interesting when you give up control because you don't always know what will happen next. 2. it is the most wonderful experience to just let God take care of you as well as to start taking advantage of the moments in your life He has for you and the people in your life He wants to use you to help, love, pray for etc.
Anyway, enough rambling. Love and God Bless,
Liz
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