Exodus 35:34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others.

Here Moses is quoting what the Lord said back in 33:1-6, that was covered yesterday, but this detail is added. Bezalel and Oholiab weren’t just gifted to do things themselves, they were called to teach others how to do the things they could do. This is something a lot of gifted people miss. Actually, some things are very difficult, if not impossible, to transmit to others, but that’s not the case for the majority of abilities God imparts. How well those things will “take” varies widely, but gifting from God is never just for the direct recipient. In every case, in one way or another, our gifting is to bless others, and we must never forget it. In an example currently in the news, Elon Musk, though not currently an active disciple of Jesus Christ, is massively gifted in the areas of technology, imagination, and implementation. He has used those gifts to accomplish things that others had flatly deemed impossible, and in the process has benefitted huge numbers of people, and he’s hardly through yet. I certainly pray that he will discover and commit himself to the One who so gifted him, but the fact remains that he has inspired many to recognize and exercise their own gifting. When that dynamic operates in the Body of Christ, wonderful things happen! We need to take inspiration from those who have gone ahead of us in the faith, so that we may in turn inspire others to press in to know more of and do more for the Lord, just as Jesus told us to pray that God’s sovereignty may be established as His will is done, for His glory.

This is an area where I frankly am not proud of my track record. I have been gifted in many areas, but I have done little to transmit those abilities and gifts to others. I am grateful that my ministry has generated several “full-time Christian workers,” as the saying goes, but that hasn’t been by my specific intent. As I have commented, I think some of them took that path because they felt they could be a better pastor than I was! All too often, I have failed to delegate as I should have, because it weas simply easier to do whatever it was myself, rather than teach someone else to do it. That’s ironic, coming from someone with Teacher gifting! Part of the issue is that I never specifically learned those abilities myself, they just “came naturally,” as the saying goes. That, however, is no excuse. I need to be intentional in passing along what God has given me, so that the Body of Christ may be built up.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for getting us here to this conference safely yesterday. Thank You for the message last night, about Fresh Oil. I could certainly use an oil change! Help me be open to hear and receive all that You want to say and impart to me in this conference, not to keep it to myself but to transmit it to others, so that all of us may grow as Your children, Your disciples, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!