Are Natural Gifts Inferior to Spiritual Gifts? Exodus 31:1-5

We all know that the Bible teaches that we are given a spiritual gift (or gifts) when we come to Christ.  How about natural gifts, are they from God and are we to use them in service to him too?  The Bible has an example of such a case in Exodus.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts." Exodus 31:1-5.

I HAVE CHOSEN
God is sovereign and He chooses one person for this ministry and He chooses another person for a different ministry.  You do not choose your gifts any more than you choose other attributes of birth. God gave you a special gift, or more likely a package of gifts in various degrees like He gave to Bezalel.  When you find your gift or gifts it will give you satisfaction like nothing else.

I HAVE FILLED
God is the giver of the gifts and the talents we have.  He is the one who gives wisdom and understanding, knowledge, and skills.  He is the one who makes possible what we are able to do.  It may be craftsmanship like the ancient Bezalel or the talent to invest money, manage a business, close a deal, fix a car, or teach a classroom; whatever your skill or gift it comes from the giver of all good gifts.

THE LORD SAID
The Lord revealed to Moses that Bezalel was the man for the job of crafting the tabernacle.  If we feel that we do not know what our gifts are we should pray faithfully for the Lord to show them to us.

The Lord in this verse did not speak to Bezalel directly but He showed Moses what Bezalel's gifts were.  It may be that God is showing other people what your gift is and He may be using those people to tell you what your gifts are.

TOP OF THE LIST
The list of gifts and talents given to Bezalel starts with "I have filled him with the Spirit."  A natural gift can become a spiritual gift if it is in the hands of someone who is walking in the Spirit and it is used to build up God's kingdom.

You may be someone who does common work but it is as worthy of as much honor as the one that stands in the pulpit preaching eloquent sermons- if you are by God's Spirit giving your gifts as service to the Lord.

© Adron Dozat 6/22/15

How To Find Joy In Life.

Can you find joy in your life? There is hope from a truth found in the Bible. 

We all want to have a good life full of happiness and well-being. We often look for joy in things, it might be a new gadget, car, or clothes, a better marriage, job, hobby, or set of friends. We are tempted to think that status in a job or community will give joy, but soon these things prove weak, watery, and empty of joy.

THE SEARCH FOR JOY GOES DEEP
Our world tells us thousands of times every day that a thing or experience will give us joy. We see advertisements all day long; and discover it to be a lie, but we fall for it over and over. Many have ruined their lives chasing joy.

The ancient poet declares that he found joy and it is recorded in the Bible.

“You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound." Psalm 4:7 NIV.

WHO
The line quoted above is from a prayer-like poem and it is addressed to God. This poet had a relationship with God that gave him more joy than those around him.

FULL
This verse says that God can fill the heart with joy; not just give a taste of joy, but that God is able to fill us completely. There is no corner overlooked or space vacant of joy. This fullness suggests that the joy God gives affects all areas of our lives.

GREATER
Greater is a comparison that says one thing is better in size or worth. The joy the Lord gives is certainly that. He gives greater joy not just your average having a good time joy but greater than what the rest of the world knows.

WINE AND GRAIN
The wine and grain suggest the gladness of society and the of gathering wealth and goods. The joy the psalmist had is a joy that is beyond anything our circle of friends or family can give, and it is greater than the wealth, success, or a good harvest.

HE FOUND JOY
He found joy, he didn't say he was hoping to find it someday or he was looking for it. His statement is that he has it. His search was over because it ended in God, the source of true joy. Our hearts were made for God as His dwelling place, and were designed to find fulfillment in Him. We need to make our focus on finding our joy in God.

May you find your joy in Him today and always.

To learn more about how to have a relationship with God follow this link: Click Here.

(c) Adron Dozat 3/3/13

What Does God Want Me To Do? 1 Peter 4:10

We have talents, abilities and gifts, so we wonder what is next in our lives.  What does God want me to do with the "me" he has made me to be?

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4: 10, NIV.

WHO
The gifts God gives men is not so that some may use them but that we "each one" should use the gifts God has given us. The Bible does not teach some use their gifts while others watch, but that all use their gifts in service.

WHATEVER
In 1 Peter 4:11 he specifies spiritual gifts such as speaking the Word, and serving; though it is clear from the Bible that we are all given spiritual gifts and it is apparent from life that God has given us physical gifts too. According to Peter "Whatever" gift God has given us, speaking or serving, is to be used to serve others.

BEYOND MERIT
We must remember these gifts are received; we could never get these on our own. We did not merit the gifts of the spirit but God gives them out of his grace. Also we can take no more credit for our physical talents than we can take credit for the color of our eyes, they all come from God. We should be humbled that God has given us any talents at all.

GIFTS TO GIVE
God has a purpose in giving us the gifts he gives, both physical and spiritual; it is not so we can be on center stage gaining all the attention, but so that we can serve. To serve takes the role of the lesser and perform actions of meeting need. In serving we make the one we serve more important or noble than ourselves. As John the Baptist said, "I am not worthy to untie the lace of his sandal."* When we serve any persons of the Church we are serving Jesus of whom we are not worthy.

Our gifts are a responsibility we must discharge faithfully, and diligently use those gifts for his service. As stewards of these blessings and will give account for them; our task is to be ready to say, "Yes!" when presented an opportunity to employ our gifts in service to mankind.

INEXHAUSTIBLE
Using our gifts makes us vehicles bringing God's grace to others. Through us God does deeds of mercy, kindness, love, and brings light to a dark world. When we use these gifts they do not diminish but seem to reveal unanticipated dimensions; and our use of them do not exhaust them us but gives us joy.

If you want to learn more about coming to the Lord visit my other blog: click here.

*John 1:27

(c)Adron Dozat

To Proclaim the Lord, A Forgotten Beatitude; Psalm 89:15

God Loves You

The Bible pronounces many blessings, but one of the most important may be one of the most overlooked.

"Blessed are those who have learned to proclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence."
Psalm 89:15 NIV.

BLESSING
The word “Blessing” can mean “Happy,” or “Glad.” It is more than being fortunate, it means God has given His approval, assistance, and favor.  Scripture makes it clear that God wants to bless us.

PROCLAIMING
This blessing begins with proclaiming God.  To proclaim something is to shout it from the rooftops. We should boldly declare in the marketplace, streets and wherever the greatness of our Great God.

To proclaim God is a skill to be learned.  The gift of evangelism is the kind of gift that gets developed and matures with use, yet if we don't have this gift we may still learn to declare God's greatness. When we get frustrated with sharing our faith we should press on to discover how.

God blesses us when we proclaim Him, and we experience joy, just ask any who are faithful to share their faith and they will tell you how much joy it gives them.

GOD IS OUR BLESSING
The second part of this blessing is God himself.  It is awesome to walk in the light of God's presence, We long for mountaintop experiences with God but shouldn't we long to "walk" in his light? Walking sets us apart, humans walk in a way that no other creature does. It is a daily and common experience for any healthy person.  To walk in the presence of the Lord must become our daily habit and choice.

LIGHT
God's presence brings light.  Light reveals sin, shows the way and clarifies what we see.  Light gives safety and comfort. We know God is omnipresent but to walk in the light of God’s presence is to choose to count on, recognize, and honor God's presence.

CHOICE
Blessings almost always involve choices on our part.  We must avoid things that darken His light in our lives.  Disobedience and sin do what no other power in the universe can accomplish- it can darken God’s light, at the very least in our lives and at most in the world around us.  Let’s put away even the most minor sin and choose to walk in His light.

TWO TRUTHS TOGETHER
These two truths go together for you cannot do one without doing the other.  We cannot proclaim Him if we are not walking in the light and if we are walking in His light we will be compelled to proclaim Him.

Resolve to walk in his light and to proclaim Him.

To learn more about how to have a relationship with God CLICK HERE.

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(C) Adron 2/9/11

The Wages of Sin is Death, But For Whom? Romans 6:23.

We often quote the verse to explain the need of the gospel to someone who is seeking God. But are we not ourselves missing the point?

“For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NIV.

We act like God gave us this verse so we can quote it to the unsaved who should respond with the conviction that they are condemned sinners who need Jesus. But this is out of context. This verse is a summary statement of a thesis of the Christian faith walk experience, where Paul warns the Christian not to return to slavery to sin. (Romans 6:13-23).

Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat of a certain fruit lest they should die. Some think death was unknown in the garden but there must have been some kind of death like decaying leaves, which is what makes gardens grow. Therefore, they must have had some vague concept of death or else the command’s warning would have no significance. Maybe they thought if they disobeyed they would somehow wilt a little like the fallen leaves or fade some like flowers in the sun. Their concept proved to be far from the truth and death's reality exceeded their imagination.

We are no different, we think, “I am born again and am saved, so sin is paid for, and it's not a bad one,” and we give into a little sin. Like Adam and Eve, we have no idea of the real death. Our impression (fed by the serpent's lies), is the consequences are minor and we may only lose a little blessing here or our sanctification will be a little tarnished there. As bad as it turned out for Adam our sins are worse because we have gifts he lacked such as the Word, the Holy Spirit, fellowship, an understanding of Christ's death for us, and more. Like Adam and Eve we do not have any idea of the full consequences of our little sin, so we enslave ourselves to its creeping decay.

Both parts of this verse is a promise. The wages of sin is death; death for our Christian walk, death for our blessings in the Lord, death to our faith. The wages of sin is death even though we are in Christ and serve him.

Sin's opposite is the gift of God, a gift that is the answer to sin- eternal life. We miss the point that victory over sin is received as a gift. Let’s confess our sin quickly and in faith claim the forgiveness and victory that comes with the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(c) Adron

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Adron

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The Most Important Truth About Spiritual Gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:31

We try to find and use our gifts, but books and seminars still leave us unsatisfied. Is there one primary something that if you just did that one thing it would all work out?

“But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.” 1 Corinthians 12:31. NIV.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
In 1 Corinthians 12 through 14:5 the Apostle writes to correct confusion and error in the early church. He explains that God gives gifts to individuals; gifts such as preaching, miracles, healing, leadership, apostleship, and prophecy.

THE GIFTS WERE NOT THE POINT
The list of gifts leads up to one final summery word. Paul’s last word is “And now I will show you the most excellent way.” Logically the next paragraph will be about some mystical discipline like prayer, fasting or some other duty that will give deeper more powerful gifts.

THE MOST EXCELLENT WAY
The next chapter of Paul’s epistle lays it out. A chapter that is read in weddings and embroidered in flowery patterns in pop Christian art- the Love chapter of 1st Corinthians 13. The most excellent way is the way of love. We have gotten so caught up with programs, seminars, books, clubs, family and life that we have forgotten the “most excellent way-” love.

OUR PREOCCUPATION
By practicing “The most excellent way” we would change the church and the world. We can even start a revolution of love in our homes, neighborhoods, and even the world, but we must become disciples of “the most excellent way.”

The occupation of the church and the preoccupation of every Christian should be “the most excellent way” of love. It should be the guiding value in every decision. Let's write love in our day planners and love on top of our do list. Make every human encounter a commitment to act out the most excellent way of Love. We should resolve to do nothing unless it is done in love.

P.S. And about all those Spiritual gifts, if we are living the love we will de-facto act out those spiritual gifts we want sooner or later anyway.

Prayer

Help me to learn, Dear Father God of Love
That most excellent way, your way of love.
Help me to follow the path of Jesus love;
Who on the cross for me showed true love.
Forgive me for my complacency to love.
Help me to understand the treasure of Love.
Make me into a person of passion for love.
May I fulfill the commandment to love.
Direct me to make all my plans in love.
Let me measure my motivations by love.
Show me the opportunities I have to love.
May I be transformed by the way of love,
And change my community by love.
Make me a disciple of the most excellent way.

(c) Adron 1/20/10