Use The Secular For God’s Glory - Bezalel And Oholiab

“The LORD has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the LORD has commanded.”

Exodus 36:1

Do you have a difficult time believing that God can make powerful use of a regular working man, such as a truck driver, concrete worker, accountant, or banker? Do you believe that only preachers, teachers, musicians, and missionaries are out there leading people to Jesus and encouraging God’s people?

If so, it may be time to adjust your thinking.

Too often, we make unnecessary distinctions between the sacred and the secular. God wants us to understand that he has given us all our gifts and talents, even those that don’t seem spiritual in nature. God wants you to use whatever gifts you have for his glory.

When the time came for Israel to build a Tabernacle in the wilderness, God had a specific job in mind for two skilled artisans named Bezalel and Oholiab. He called them to use their gifts and skills to build a portable temple, a tentlike structure designed for use in serving and communicating with God.

When Bezalel and Oholiab left Egypt with their Hebrew countrymen as part of the Exodus, did they have any idea that God would use their abilities in that way? How could they? At that point, they had no idea what a tabernacle was, let alone how their skills might contribute to building one. But God had given this pair their skills, and when he asked them to put their abilities into his service, they willingly made them available.

God loves to use unexpected resources for purposes we could never have imagined. Our role in that equation is to do as Bezalel and Oholiab did: make whatever skills, talents, or abilities you have available for the Lord’s use.

If you believe that God only uses the pros to do ministry, then it’s time to expand your thinking. Put your skills, gifts, and talents in God’s hands, realizing that he gave them to you in the first place. Then watch him do amazing things with what you thought of as ordinary, for his glory and the benefit of his people.