Tag Archives: skills

June 10, 2024 · 5:44 AM

Created To Do

I used to travel a lot for work. I often ate at the same restaurants in the cities I visited where I got to know servers and owners. At a restaurant in New Orleans, I came across a server named Ike. He wasn’t like any server I ever had before. He loved waiting on tables and it showed. It wasn’t long before he served some Hollywood casting agents filming there. They cast him in several shows over time. We were laughing about it one day and I told him that one day they were going to take him away to Hollywood. Suddenly his face got serious and he said, “That’s not going to happen. God made me to wait tables! Acting is fun, but this is why I’m here.” It struck me that night how important it is to find what we were created to do.

In 2 Chronicles 2, Solomon began to build the Temple. He got about 160,000 people to work on it. He hired Hiram, king of Tyre, to send cedar because people there were excellent at cutting wood. He hired Hiram-Abi who was created to work with good, silver and other metals. He could make any design Solomon thought of. This man made it into the Bible because he found what he was created to do, and God used his skills to create all the holy objects that were in the Temple. Throughout the first few chapters of 2 Chronicles, you’ll find his name over and over in relation to his skill. God doesn’t just need ministers to build His Church, He needs all of us doing our part using the talents and skills He’s given us.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (NIV). You are God’s handiwork and you were created to do specific things for the Kingdom. Don’t look down on your skills and think they’re not as important as someone else’s. Nehemiah’s skill built a wall. David’s let him play the harp for the king. Paul made tents to earn money while being one of the most prolific missionaries. God can use whatever skill He’s given you to do good works and make a difference. He’s got work that you were created to do. Quit making excuses or demeaning your skill. Home it, find where you are to use it and get busy!

Photo by Razvan Chisu on Unsplash

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March 8, 2023 · 5:30 AM

Standing Before Kings

Years ago I read the autobiography of Ben Franklin. He was an incredibly gifted person who spent a lot of time learning and developing his sold. He was always testing things and inventing solutions. He was very diligent in his studies and in solving problems. He invented bifocals, rounded glass for street lights, lighting rods, fire departments and so much more. He was the oldest person to sign the Declaration of Independence, which he helped draft. He also was able to stand before five kings.

When Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, he used around 150,000 workers and it took just over seven years. 2 Chronicles described what it took. People from Tyre were gifted in cutting trees like no one else so they provided the wood. There was a man named Huram-abi who was an extremely skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. To build such a magnificent building it took many skilled workers who all got to stand before kings.

Proverbs 22:29 says, “If you are uniquely gifted in your work, you will rise and be promoted. You won’t be held back— you’ll stand before kings!” (TPT) Each of us are born with raw talent in something. If we want to rise, be promoted and stand before kings, we must develop that talent. In the same manner, God provided wheat. However, we must harvest it, separate the chaff, mill it and combine it with other ingredients to make life giving sustenance. The same is true with our raw talent. If you want to stand before kings, we must be willing to work at developing our talents.

Thanks to Willian B. for making this photo available on unsplash.

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