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Scripture Passage: Zechariah 4:6 and Exodus 31:2-6

“So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

 "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. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you"

Devotional Entry:  

I learned from a young age is that if I want something I must go after it, work hard, persevere, and I could be anything or accomplish whatever I set my mind to. My mom would always say “work hard, you’re smart, you can do it, don’t give up”. I was also taught to pray and ask God for help but that was about praying for what I wanted and often during desperate times when things weren’t working out as I planned. I grew up trying to make things happen on my own strength and not giving any thought to what God wanted.  

Zechariah 4:6 says “Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord.” God is telling us that it’s His Spirit that will make things happen not our might. But what does “by my Spirit” look like when I’m accomplishing a task. A story in Exodus shows us what it looks like when things happen by God’s Spirit and not our own strength. In Exodus 30 and 31, God gives Moses exact instructions on how to build the tabernacle. God then tells Moses who He has chosen to build the tabernacle pieces like the ark. In Exodus 31:2-4 God tells 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…” God describes to Moses how he has chosen, empowered and partnered with Bezalel to fulfill His work and it’s the same way God wants to empower and partner with us today. 

 

  • First, God wants to fill me with His Spirit by receiving His presence, peace, and power. God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit, already lives in me 24/7 but I can honestly say I don’t choose to let the Holy Spirit fill me up every day. We can actively choose and invite the Holy Spirit to fill us up everyday. You can do this by opening your heart to the Lord’s presence and saying “Holy Spirit quiet my mind and heart, focus my attention on you, I invite you to fill me up and speak to me.”
  • Second, receive His wisdom by asking God to show you how He sees a situation, task or decision from His perspective, His heart, His mind. We can receive God’s wisdom by giving up any prior thoughts, ideas, logic, earthly wisdom, understanding or human plans we have come up with on our own and ask God to show us a picture or speak to us about how He sees something. We can do this by simply saying “Holy Spirit I chose to release your wisdom through my mind and heart. Show me how you see and feel about this?” Then listen.
  • Third, ask God to give understanding and knowledge on how He wants me to proceed, what steps to take, and when. God always has a plan and sequence and it always turns out for the best. We can know how God wants us to take action by asking “Holy Spirit how do you want me to proceed and when” and then as you hear you obey.
  • Finally, use all of the gifts, skills, and abilities God has given us through the Holy Spirit to complete the steps. Usually, we are trained to use our skills, and abilities first, but God’s order starts with being filled by His Spirit first. We can confidently use all the skills and abilities the Lord has given us throughout our lives with the key attitude and action of staying connected with God throughout. We can trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding our every thought, feeling, and action as we move and check in with God as we complete the activity.

God wants to start and finish all things with us, His beloved sons and daughters. He wants us to stay connected to His heart and mind throughout the whole task and activity no matter what it is or how big or small.

 

Challenge:

Pick one thing that you are pursuing or trying to accomplish in your life right now, stop, connect with God, invite His presence, peace, and power in, and get His perspective and wisdom on it before taking another step. What is the Holy Spirit showing or saying to you?