The Gift Is Not Mine to Own
Exodus 31:1-11
There is something beautiful about the way Exodus 31 begins.
God has been giving Moses detailed instructions about the tabernacle – how it should be built, what should be used, and how everything should be made. But then God introduces two men: Bezalel and Oholiab.
What struck me is this:
God did not only give the work. He also provided the people and the abilities needed to accomplish it.
God says about Bezalel:
“I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.”
And then:
“I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship.”
– Exodus 31:2-3 ESV
God Calls, and God Equips
I had wondered why God chose Bezalel and Oholiab.
The passage does not give us a detailed reason. It simply tells us that God chose them.
We also learn that Bezalel was the son of Uri, the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. This Hur is the same Hur who helped Moses during the battle with Amalek in Exodus 17. That is an interesting family connection, but Scripture does not say that Bezalel was chosen because of Hur. We should appreciate the connection without making it an explanation the Bible does not give.
What the passage clearly shows is that God called Bezalel and God equipped him.
God gave him ability. God gave him wisdom. God gave him knowledge. God gave him craftsmanship. And God filled him with His Spirit.
That is what challenged me.
Sometimes I think about calling mainly in terms of what God wants me to do. But this passage reminds me that when God gives an assignment, He is also able to equip the person He calls.
The ability to work with gold, silver, bronze, wood and precious materials was not insignificant to God. Skill and craftsmanship were being used for His purposes.
The Gift Is Not Mine to Own
This leads me to a simple thought:
God’s gifts are received, not owned.
I may have worked hard to develop a skill. I may have studied, practised and gained experience. But ultimately, where did the ability to learn come from? Where did the opportunity come from? Where did the strength and capacity come from?
Paul asks:
“What do you have that you did not receive?”
– 1 Corinthians 4:7 ESV
That question removes much of our boasting.
Whatever God has entrusted to me – ability, knowledge, opportunity, influence, resources, time or spiritual gifting – is something I have received.
Therefore, my responsibility is not ownership. It is stewardship.
When Stewardship Becomes Ownership
This becomes especially important when I think about ministry.
I have heard people involved in ministry speak about their church, their prayer group, their fellowship or their ministry. I understand that when God entrusts something to us, we should care for it deeply. Faithful stewardship requires responsibility, commitment and love.
But there is a dangerous difference between saying,
“God has entrusted this to me, so I will care for it faithfully,”
and saying,
“This is mine.”
The first is stewardship. The second can become ownership.
And when something God has entrusted to us begins to feel like our personal possession, spiritual pride can quietly enter.
Ministry is not an area to play with.
A church is not my possession. A prayer group is not my possession. The people God has entrusted to me do not belong to me.
A ministry is not a platform for proving my greatness.
It is not because of my family background. It is not because I am more talented or more spiritual.
It is God’s gift and God’s responsibility entrusted to me for a season and for His purposes.
The ministry is God’s. The people are God’s. The gifts are God’s. And I am God’s.
So the question is not, “How can I make this mine?”
The question is: “How can I steward what God has entrusted to me in a way that brings glory to Him?”
Different Gifts, One Giver
The New Testament carries the same principle.
Paul says:
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
– 1 Corinthians 12:4, 7 ESV
And he says that the Spirit distributes gifts “as he wills.”
That means I do not need to compete with another believer’s gift.
Their gift does not make them greater than me. My gift does not make me greater than them.
God has different purposes for different people.
My responsibility is simply to be faithful with what He has entrusted to me.
That is freeing.
I don’t have to possess every gift. I don’t have to become someone else. I don’t have to build an identity around what God has given me.
I simply need to use it faithfully.
What God Gives, I Must Surrender
Bezalel was given ability, but he still had to work.
God gave wisdom, but Bezalel still had to obey the instructions.
God provided the gift, but the gift had to be used according to God’s design.
That is stewardship.
If God gives me knowledge, I should use it faithfully. If He gives me skill, I should use it responsibly. If He gives me influence, I should use it humbly. If He gives me ministry, I should serve without claiming ownership.
And if He gives me an opportunity, I should remember that it is His before it is mine.
Perhaps the question I need to carry from this passage is:
“What has God placed in my hands, and am I using it for His glory or my own?”
That question can examine every area of my life.
Because one day, I don’t want to look at what God entrusted to me and say, “Look what I built.”
I want to be able to say:
“Look what God allowed me to steward.”
That is the difference between possession and stewardship. Between pride and gratitude. Between building my name and glorifying His name.
Bezalel did not need to prove that he was great. He simply needed to faithfully use what God had given him.
And perhaps that is what I need to learn too.
The gift is not mine to own. It is God’s to give, and mine to steward.
Lord, thank You for every gift, ability, opportunity and responsibility You have entrusted to me.
Forgive me for the times I have treated Your gifts as though they were my own achievements.
Keep me especially humble in spiritual responsibilities. If You entrust people, a ministry, a prayer group, a church responsibility or any other work to me, help me to care for it faithfully without ever claiming ownership.
Protect me from spiritual pride and from seeking my own glory through what You have given me.
Teach me to remember that everything I have received comes from You.
Help me to use my gifts faithfully, serve others humbly, and surrender the results to You.
May everything You have placed in my hands ultimately point back to You.
The gift is Yours. Help me steward it faithfully for Your glory.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Hineni