Surrendered Skills

“The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”

I Chronicles 28:21

What set of skills do you bring to the table?

Are you valued for your financial acumen?

Can you form metal or wood into useful products or works of art?

Perhaps you’re an orator whose speeches would impress even Cicero.

But what is productive for you can become counter-productive in the Kingdom of God

God doesn’t need your skills nearly as much as He desires your surrender!

Notice in today’s verse that it doesn’t speak of every skilled person helping but rather every willing person skilled in any craft.

If I have honed my skills such that I am in demand far beyond others with the same set of skills I risk reaching the pinnacle of pride and self-congratulatory satisfaction.

I risk becoming useless for the Kingdom instead of useful!

Noah did not suffer from such pride.

He certainly was no expert in predicting the weather.

As a matter of fact, he likely had no idea what “rain” was.

Shipbuilding?

Certainly not a trade he had learned growing up!

You see, Noah came to God (and God used him) not with all his skills but instead with all that he was willing to surrender to God: faithfulness, obedience and service. 

God may anoint skills but what He is really after is our willing faithfulness, obedience and service.

God can take the man who stutters (but surrenders) and use him to speak to Pharoah.

God can take the shepherd boy (least impressive of Jesse’s sons) and use him to slay the giant.

God can take the impulsive Apostle who denied him three times (Pete, in case you were wondering) and empower him to lead 3,000 to Christ in one day.

So the servant best suited to advance the Kingdom of God is the one whose skills are willingly surrendered in service and not paraded in pride!