One thing I
have enjoyed doing all through my ministry as a pastor is encouraging people to
recognize their gifts and talents and consecrate them to God. We all have been
given gifts with no exceptions, but not all believers utilize their gifts for
God’s glory.
The book of Exodus describes two men
who were given extraordinary gifts to do artistic work, "See, I have
chosen Bezalel …and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill,
ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts” (Exodus 31:1-3). God gave creative abilities to Bezalel and
Oholiab to create things of beauty for his tabernacle.
Art has the
power to influence our culture. What is happening in the arts today is indicative
of what will happen in our world tomorrow. So when Christians abandon artistic pursuits,
we lose an important opportunity to share the gospel in our culture. From the
pictures we paint, to the music we listen to, to the clothes we wear— they are
all designed by artists. They are all vehicles to express our world view and to
glorify God.
Bezalel was
the craftsman and Oholiab was his skilled assistant. It is interesting that God
chose and equipped these men for this job. Their names underscore their
dependence on God. Bezalel means "in the shadow of God." The meaning
of Oholiab's name is: "my tent is the Father-God."
I can
imagine these men as they began working on this important and holy project for
Moses. They knew this was to be done for God’s glory, so they put their heart
and soul into their work. Whether they were building, sewing, casting,
stonecutting, or engraving, they did it with great care.
One of the
reasons we see such a scarcity of good art and design in areas of our lives is
because Christians have not pursued many artistic areas of life. We have left
them to non-believers whose art often does not reflect a redemptive view of
humanity.
If we have
been given a talent, we should dedicate it to God and use it for his glory. Not
only does this give us purpose, but it also is our expression of our love for
God. Our work can praise God and point people to his goodness. Johann Sebastian
Bach was famous for signing his works with the letters "sDg," meaning
soli Deo gloria - to God alone be the
glory. In the same way, every artist whose talents are consecrated to Christ
will produce art for God's glory.[i]
Paul wrote
the Colossians these words: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the Lord, not for men,” (Colossians 3:23). This is the correct
attitude for everything we do in life. If our talent is consecrated to God,
then our work will be for God’s glory regardless of what company we work for.
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