365 Reflections

For what purpose is the gift of teaching? Exodus 35:30–35 (ESV)   Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer. I love what this passage illustrates for us. Bezalel, first mentioned in Exodus 31 is now brought up again with the materials gathered for construction of the Tabernac...

When you think about it, the first act of the Spirit in accordance with the Word of God is to create! The universe and all that makes Earth wonderfully unique was created as the Spirit hovered over the surface of the deep. Now the temple needs to be wonderfully unique for the presence of God to dwell with man. And God fills a man with the Spirit to bring it to pass. Exodus 31:1–5 (ESV)   The Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God , with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. When you think of being filled with the Spirit of God, what comes to mind? I was raised in a church where one word was the answer: tongues. I believe in tongues. I speak in tongues. I am thankful for the gift of tongues...

Are you spiritual? Do you consider yourself a spiritual Christ follower? There are simple tests to determine whether or not you are. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul seeks to inform a church filled with people who are very gifted in the Spirit about the reality of what being spiritual is all about. A Spirit-filled person is someone who allows the Spirit to control what they have and where they fit in the body of Christ. The gifts of the Spirit "are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills." 1 Corinthians 12:11 I think we forget the Holy Spirit is a Person. He has a will and a plan. He works through the church according to His plan to build up the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit's main objective is not to make your dreams come true. It is to build up the Body. Are we concerned for the body? Or are we concerned for ourselves? Paul make it clear the reason why you are where you are is so that you will love the body of Christ. ...