God Can Use Common Skills

Skill in the common arts is a gift from God. He provides both the gift and wisdom to use the gift aright. When He desired a work done on the tabernacle, He said, “See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 31:2, 3). Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord said, “Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

“When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cumin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place? For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him. For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cumin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cumin with a rod. Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen. This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working” (Isaiah 28:23-29).

God dispenses His gifts as it pleases Him. He bestows one gift upon one, and another gift upon another, but all for the good of the whole body. It is in God’s order that some shall be of service in one line of work, and others in other lines—all working under the selfsame Spirit. The recognition of this plan will be a safeguard against emulation, pride, envy, or contempt of one another. It will strengthen unity and mutual love.—Counsels to Parents and Teachers, 314, 315.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 218
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. R
—-Please pray for Bob who is having trouble with his cerebellum.
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Dear Friends,

Ronnie Jay and I have always enjoyed collecting rocks. On the many hikes we have taken in our lives, we have always stuffed our pockets full of rocks that looked pretty to us. Most of them were worthless, but we liked them. It didn’t matter to us if we didn’t know the name of many of them, we have kept them for years.

One time Ronnie Jay when Ronnie Jay was twelve or thirteen, he went with some friends on a hike. As they were climbing on some small cliffs, he found a rock that he thought was a frilly, black, fossil of a fern. He was very happy to have found it.

When he showed it to my friend Darlene, she smiled and explained that it was not a fern a fern at all. It was a dendritic mineral crystal that is fern-like in its growth. This type of mineral is formed when water rich in manganese flow along the naturally occurring faults and fissures in certain types of rock. Here is a link to a photo from the internet that looks almost identical to the one that he found http://www.mindat.org/photo-32701.html . As you can see, it did look like a fern fossil and was very pretty, but that did not change the fact that it was not what it appeared to be.

So it is in the Christian life. There are many who look like Christians, act like Christians, and talk like Christians, but their heart is far from our Wonderful Saviour. Jesus, with sadness in His voice, said; “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Matt 15:8

“The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matt 13:24-30

How often we are like those servants. We might think we can tell who the tares are and who is the wheat, but only God really knows. Jesus tells us, “Judge not that ye be not judged.” Matt 7:1 Again He explains, “Judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24 How easy that is for us to do. How many times we judge according to the appearance but later find that we were so wrong. We do not know the heart. We do not know the background of that person. But God takes these things into account when He judges. “The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there.” Ps 87:6

Paul writes, “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.” Rom 2:2-11

May we be careful not to judge one another’s motives for only God knows what is in the heart. (1 Sam 16:7) May we make “our calling and election sure” this day. May we lead others to our Righteous Judge, our Saviour, our King.

Rose