January 31, 2022
Today is the last day of January. Do you know what that means? It’s been a month! A whole month. An awesome month. I’m so excited! There are no words, well, but none that expresses what I am feeling. Thank you for grace in my life with your presence, for encouraging me to abide in you and to share with you. To listen to you. It’s only one month of the rest of my life and I am so grateful that you brought me through. I am so grateful for what you have taught me and I pray for a heart that is continually open to you. Let your will become my desire. Today is yours to lead and to guide. I will follow. Do you know what I recognize? My mind does not immediately focus on work for the day when I wake up. It may glance at the day ahead but that’s it. Thank you for moving in my heart and mind. Thank you for your provision for today. Your strength for today and your continued healing. You have brought me thus far (Lol, and yes I know sometimes I do pull out King James Version for you. Not intentionally, but it happens). And you have promised you will be with me today. Thank you for that promise. Thank you for loving me. I love you, Yahweh.
Exodus 31: 1 – 3 – 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 skill.
This has always been one of my favourite moments in Exodus. Imagine you wake up one day and all of a sudden some of the things that you will merely good at, you become great at. Ideas of how you can do things are flooding your mind with the skill to match it! It honestly always filled me with joy because it showed one of the ways that you Yahweh equipped someone who he called. You filled him with your spirit and made him a master. What I’ve always thought and the idea has only gotten stronger: you don’t hear of Bezalel preaching or out on the street evangelising. He was called to lead the construction of the sanctuary. A task that Yahweh considered so important that he filled him with his spirit to do it. But so often in our lives we focus on the preacher or preaching as a primary way to do God’s will. Not everyone is called to preach, but everyone has something that only they alone can do. And we need to allow room for that, for persons to move in their calling and not in our supposition. Yahweh, help us to truly make room for you in our churches so that we are moving in your purpose and not man’s. So that we are filled with your Holy Spirit and to do your will. Help us to recognize that your gifts to us is far beyond what we often choose to focus on and you use us in so many ways, i.e. The sound engineer’s role is as important as the speaker.
Thank you for the many ways that you have called us, for your ideas that you have filled us with to propel your good news.
Speaking of ideas and inspiration: the bones of an idea came to me, and I’m not sure how to implement it. But I have learned over the years that he will fill in the blanks. We will find him when we seek him with all our hearts.
What happens when we are filled with the Holy Spirit like Bezalel?
Acts 13: 2 – 10 – While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ,”Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me. I want them to do the work for which I have called them.”
CONFESSION: this full story isn’t familiar to me, but each day is a new experience with you, Yahweh.
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are set apart.
(Is it possible that not everyone who follows Christ – genuinely – is filled with the Holy Spirit? Food for thought).
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, there is a specific work that you are called to do and most likely it’s not going to be “ordinary”. Not that there’s anything wrong with ordinary, but when you are set apart chances are you will be noticed and whatever you are called to do would be on a wider scale, affecting more persons than we would immediately want to think.
Before being filled with the Holy Spirit, someone has to separate and spend time with Yahweh. We don’t know about Bezalel before he was called, but Moses was in communion with Yahweh, then Bezalel was filled with the Holy Spirit to do his work. In Acts, they (as in the group) were fasting and worshipping when Paul and Barnabas were called apart but not yet filled with the spirit. Even if you’re not called in that moment for a task you still have full access to the spirit. You still have work to do – worshipping God.
Acts 13: 9 -11 – Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.”
Paul wasn’t immediately filled with the spirit when he was called apart, that came after. Just an observation, very few people in scripture were always filled with the Holy Spirit. Visually, I’m seeing it like a lifeline(?) that we’re connected to. Correction a phone line (wonder if folks even remember what that was like). And we’re always on the phone getting his messages through it: how to live etc. But then there is that day when it’s not over the phone, it’s in person. That’s the day you are filled with the Holy Spirit. To do great works in that moment. But there are facets of the spirit that can be permanently impacted such as wisdom and knowledge. 1 Corinthians 12:8.
There was one that I found so far who was always filled with the Holy Spirit, even before birth.
Luke 1:15 – As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born.
Truthfully, I don’t think we are all called to be filled with the Holy Spirit continually. At times of great work, yes. Continually? Not likely unless called for. John was completely set apart because he was filled with the Holy Spirit continually.
Luke 1:80 – The child John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared to the people of Israel.
Not even Jesus was continually filled with the Holy Spirit the way John was, but before “great acts” or in times of preparation.
Luke 4: 1 – Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit as he left the Jordan River. The Spirit led him while he was in the desert.
Which one is better? To be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit or to be connected to the holy spirit? Neither. They each have a purpose in God’s plan for our lives but we need to allow him to execute his plan. And whichever way, we will do great things for the Lord.
SIDEBAR: I have noticed that unless ill, I’ve been getting to work ridiculously early. But I physically get out of bed at 6:00. I exercise, prepare clothes and all of that then get to work before time and usually before most of the others. That is God working there. It honestly feels like I have more time during the day. Yet ironically each day seems to pass quickly.
People might think I’m joking when I speak of your building blocks but I see them so clearly especially when I look back. Last week I thanked you for imbuing me with your spirit. I didn’t say fill me. Imbuing: a word that I rarely use.
Imbue: to permeate or influence as is by dyeing. To tinge, to inspire, to moisten.
Even when we don’t immediately see it, you are working. Giving us the words to say: the Holy Spirit truly interprets for us. Thank you for that connection with you.
