Good morning! This has been a solemn yet joyous morning as we celebrated the life and promotion of a wonderful woman of God. She is the one I spoke about briefly last week whom Charlie and I went to visit a week ago Monday. I am so glad to have had that time. As I reflect upon her life a word that keeps coming to me is legacy. There are a number of her family members in our church and they have godly, servant hearts. She was spoken of as being a woman of prayer and a woman of the Word. She didn’t shy away from sharing the Gospel and loved the Lord her God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength. She also loved her family and enjoyed life. I could say a lot about her, but as I look at her family, I see her story living on. I want that for my family. Long after I’m gone, I would love for my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and on down the line loving and serving God with their whole being and making disciples of all nations. I want them to know how much God loves them and how much I love and pray for them. My friend lived out 6:33, and I pray that my legacy reflects Jesus just like her’s.
I know and realize that the reading is beginning to be a little more difficult to follow and to enjoy, but hang in there. This is where a lot of people drop off in their reading plans… and then they will start back over next January with Genesis… I believe this is one of the reasons that reading through the Bible each year (or at least every few years) is important. I want all of God’s Word to cross my mind and heart at least once a year, and if I didn’t do it this way, there would be large parts of Scripture that I would rarely, if ever, read. Reading these Scriptures also remind us of how important the sacrifice of Jesus is. We don’t have to try to follow these laws and instructions to the tee anymore. We don’t have to sacrifice animals and be temporarily washed clean from our sins. We are not perfect in and of ourselves, but have been perfected by the perfect blood of the Lamb and are covered by His righteousness. Along with helping me to understand other Scripture better, reading these passages also makes me more appreciative of grace.
I don’t have a lot of points to share from the reading today, but I do have a few. I will just combine the two chapters. Right from the start, I see how God gave the craftsmen a spirit of wisdom and told them to use their gifts to build and make certain items. Using the gifts God has given us for His glory is a 6:33 trait. Along with that, fully obeying and following God’s instructions is another trait. Through all of this, God was making Himself known and to know Him is 6:33 at it’s very core.
I don’t have a lot of skill with my hands, especially to make something look nice or pretty. I can use tools to a degree, but it’s more to make something that is functional or to replace a simple part where a broken one existed. I don’t have the skills to understand how things work or the patience to make them look nice. So, with that said, I REALLY appreciate those people who do. I have often thought that too often we relegate the word, smart, to those who succeed academically. However, here is Scripture to back that it takes wisdom to be a craftsman. So, all of you builders, welders, mechanics, plumbers, electricians, and anyone else good at making your minds, hands, and tools work together, I believe God has made you smart, regardless of how your grades were in school. I believe you have been given a wisdom from God to be used for His glory. Sometimes, our education system doesn’t value those smart with their hands, but what in the world would we do without you all? Maybe you are the ones that can’t sit still and just listen. Sometimes, you need to be doing something in order to understand. Self control is a fruit of the Spirit, but I also want to give you the encouragement to go and use that wisdom and those skills that God gave you!
Again, may you bless God with your skills today!
Operation 6:33 