Continuing our look at the Holy Spirit's interactions with people prior to Pentecost, consider this story from Exodus 31:1-11:
The Lord spoke to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft. Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given skill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you: the tent of meeting, and the ark of the covenant, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, and the finely worked vestments, the holy vestments for the priest Aaron and the vestments of his sons, for their service as priests, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the holy place. They shall do just as I have commanded you.”
One of the first tasks God undertakes after freeing Israel from Egypt is the construction of the mobile temple, the Tabernacle. God intended the Tabernacle to have many functions including: conflict resolution, sanctuary, criminal justice, worship, sanctification, and portable throne room of God. Needless to say, a structure this important would need to be adorned with high quality materials, beautiful designs, and inspiring artistic works. Thus, God appointed several people, most notable Bezalel and Oholiab, to carry out the job of decorating the Tabernacle.
What is remarkable about Bezalel and Oholiab, though, is not just the career changing opportunity they had to decorate the Tabernacle, but that they were filled with “divine spirit” long before there was a need for a Tabernacle so that one day they would be able to work on the Tabernacle for God. In other words, Bezalel and Oholiab were gifted in advance by God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, with artistic talent – metallurgy, carving statues, weaving, and much more (indeed “every kind of craft”) – so that one day they would be able to use their talents for God. Therefore, the story of Bezalel and Oholiab reminds us that the talents we have are not simply here for our own amusement, but they can – and should – be used to serve God.
Perhaps this is a new concept for you; is thinking about your hobbies as a way to minster to others and to serve God a foreign idea? Somewhere along the way we convinced ourselves that in order to serve God you had to perform a certain set of tasks: give money to the poor, sponsor a starving child, preach, go on mission trips, etc. However, the truth of the matter is that God has given us talents, gifts, skills, and personalities through the Holy Spirit in order that we might use those natural talents in a way that serves God. So do not necessarily go looking for a way to serve God that is unnatural to you, but train yourself to use the talents you have to serve God.