If you needed life-saving surgery, which would you prefer – a skillful pagan with an evil eye for profit or an incompetent Christian with integrity of heart for service?
Do you think the Lord accepts this either/or dilemma? Absolutely not! I believe the Lord wants His servants to have skillful hands that are controlled by hearts of integrity.
I believe He wants His representatives to be the best in their respective fields. I believe He wants His people to be the most skilled at whatever He has called them to do for Him. I believe He sees the quality of our workmanship as a reflection on Him.
This word translated skilled means extraordinary expertise in an area.
Does this surprise anyone that the Lord wants us to be extraordinarily skilled in whatever He has called us to do? We understand that 2 Timothy 3:16-17 asserts that the Bible has all the truth that the man of God needs to accomplish his work for God. But we also all the facts or instruction that the man of God needs to accomplish his work for God. The “craftsmanship,” the “skills” required for your line of work will no doubt require additional education, training, instruction, and practice. The Christian does not ignore or avoid secular training (read Proverbs 14:33), but he does evaluate it and apply it in accordance with biblical principles.
The definition of wisdom is skillful living in accordance with Biblical truth. Wise Christians should seek to become exceptionally skilled in their profession, but they must discipline themselves to apply these skills in accordance with God’s Word. In a sense, the skills are amoral – neither moral nor immoral. It is the application that determines the morality. For example, the skills that the Lord gave the craftsmen to work with gold for the building of the tabernacle were the same skills used to make the golden calf idol.
The skills themselves are amoral; it is the application that determines their morality. God and the world looks for and honors those with SKILL...not knowledge alone.
King David had Skills
Psalm 78:72
72 So he shepherded them according
to the integrity of his heart, And
guided them with his skillful hands.
People with Skills receive honor
Proverbs 22:29
29 Do you see a man skilled in his
work? He will stand before kings; he
will not stand before obscure men.
People with Skills are Critical to the Kingdom
Exodus 35:30-35, 36:2
30 Then Moses said to the sons of
Israel, “See the Lord has called by
name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son
of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,
31 and He has filled him with the
Spirit of God, in wisdom, in
understanding and in knowledge and
in all craftsmanship;
32 to make designs for working in
gold and in silver and in bronze …
34 He has also put in his heart to
teach …
35 He has filled them with skill to
perform every work of an engraver
and of a designer …
36:2 Then Moses called Bezalel and
Oholiab and every skillful person in
whom the Lord put skill, everyone
whose heart stirred him, to come to
the work to perform it.
Skill is a Biblical mandate for Excellence
The Lesson here is Don't seek Education, seek Skills; Don't seek Certification, Seek Skills; Don't Seek a diploma, Seek Skills. Sure you need those other things, but if you go to school get a diploma and still have no skill to sell you will remain on the sidelines and remain as unemployed as everyone else.
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