Willing To Use Our Skills

 I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you - Exodus 31:6b

Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. - Exodus 36:2

Notice the bold words - I have given skill; who was willing to come and do.  In the first reference, God was with Moses and revealing his blueprint for the Tabernacle that the Israelites were to build. The second reference is when Moses was revealing all that God said to the Israelites. 

When I'm reading all the details and the wherewithal and what needed to be done to build God's Tabernacle, I almost glaze over because for me it's just too much. I don't understand it. I mean, Moses was up on the mountain for 40 days when God was giving him all of this! But when I got to 31:6b, it was like "but of course!" God wouldn't give the Israelites all of these details without also equipping them, so that they could actually build it! I'm wondering if Moses was a bit overwhelmed himself wondering how they were actually going to get this done and do it right, or did he just know in his knower that God was going to help? Maybe it was a little bit of both - I don't know, but just by God saying "I have given skill . . . to make everything I have commanded you" made me realize that this is still true today. God may ask us to do something, and we may think that we don't have the "necessary" skills or abilities to do what He is asking, but in all reality, I believe those skills or abilities are or will be there when the time is right. They may be already there, but just covered over where they are hard to see or find.

And this brings me to the second reference - who was willing to come and do. To me this is saying that not all who God had given the skills and ability to would actually want to come and do the work for Him. God was not going to force anyone to do the work. A willing participant is so much better than someone who begrudgingly does it. 

This also puts it back on us. Are we willing to use the skills and abilities that God has given us?