The word “workmanship” is מְלָאכָה (mel-aw-kaw’). It means occupation or craftsmanship. Plus, its application has to do with service. Furthermore, the word covers deputyship or even ministry. Finally, workmanship can mean employment.

Conclusion: Bezaleel is traced to Judah in Chronicles through five ancestors—Uri, Hur, Caleb, Hezron, and Pharez. This would be Judah’s son by Tamar.

So, if you are reading this devotion and feel like a failure or if your family has failed, remember—God delights in using our “availability,” not our “ability.”

Besides that, if you were to do some research, you would discover that Bezaleel’s descendants can be traced to an incestuous relationship between Judah and Tamar. Other “losers” He has used—amazingly, the God of the Bible used the harlot Rahab to be part of the ancestral lineage of Jesus Christ.

In his inspired letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul reminds those believers, as well as us today, that the apostles suffered, but they were not alone. The Lord dispatched His angels to be with them during a time of martyrdom. This verse describes the scene. Several learning lessons emerge:

1. The suffering of the saints is inevitable!
2. We are not alone!
3. Angels or messengers are watching!
4. They are sent by God to minister to the Church!
5. Angels are powerful, personal, and purposeful!

The word “spectacle” is θέατρον, which means a theater, a semicircular stone building, or an open area to the sky. It literally means a spectacle or a show.

Perhaps Paul’s intention here is a reference to the Roman Coliseum—an open theater where Christians were martyred for their courageous faith in Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, both “men and angels” witnessed their death.

Some understand this verse to describe both evil angels as well as elect angels.

Standing at the very top of the Roman Coliseum while filming a video from a cell phone, this Pastor was reminded of this verse of Scripture. Unable to contain my emotions, with a crowd all around, it was both disturbing and disappointing to hear the guide deny the horrendous bloodshed of those martyrs. What a travesty!

Complaining against God does not really help the situation, but that is what the people of Israel did following their miraculous deliverance from the tyranny of the Egyptians. So the Lord instructed Moses that He would rain down “Angel food” from heaven. Once again, He provided.

Jesus is bread for the hungry. Are you hungry? He is water to the thirsty! Are you thirsty? He is rest to the weary! Are you tired and weary?

Jesus made it crystal clear that if a person wants a relationship with Him, he or she must assimilate Him into their very being. Check out His words speaking to those who were following Him for a free lunch—another miracle. This was after feeding several thousand.

(John 6:53) “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”

Here are some OBSTACLES that can be turned into OPPORTUNITIES for spending time with Jesus or not spending time with Jesus. By the way, this should be a daily practice, not just once a week on Sunday. I love what Dr. Luke records in Acts 4:13: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

While Martha was helpful by fixing a delicious meal, she was bitten by both ANXIETY as well as AGITATION! Have you been there? Busyness, distractions, lack of priorities, and short-sightedness are all OBSTACLES that block us from really being with Jesus—quality time. Please note, these are not necessarily “bad things,” but pay attention because they are not heaven’s “best!”

But the Lord called him before he was even born (Jer. 1:5). Amazing, huh? This alone reveals the predestined purposes of our living God. Fast forward: Paul writes to the Ephesian believers—and Christians—of this phenomenal truth:

“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” (Eph. 1:11)

Anyway, back to Jeremiah. He began preaching around 20 years old while being instructed not to get married. He faithfully served our Lord for approximately 40 years, even though he faced irreconcilable differences with his nation. Is it any wonder he was called the weeping prophet?

When a nation—whether Israel, Judah, or America—begins to slip down the slippery slopes of apostasy, she can expect the chastisement of the Lord to be executed. However, it will turn out for His glory and His people’s good.

“But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause. Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.” (Jer. 20:11-13)

Admittedly, at times, we do not always understand the ways and thoughts of our God (Isa. 55:8-9). But from a PERSONAL perspective, we can have faith in Him to fulfill His Word and will in our lives.

So, in conclusion, our trust in His SPIRITUAL perspective is the key to navigating through this life with contentment and fulfillment until we see Jesus.

Enjoy the journey!

Love y’all,
Dr. Randal Reese

There are a number of people, including this writer {once upon a time}, who feel like we are unworthy of His love. But that is what makes His love so amazing, so refreshing, so contagious!

1. God is LOVE! (1 John 4:8; 3:1-3) – “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

(1 John 4:20) “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

Remember, real LOVE for the God of the Bible is going to SHOW (John 15:13).
In addition, it will GROW (2 Cor. 5:14).

Speaking to those in the Church of Corinth as well as to us today, Paul writes: “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese

Through the mighty cross of Jesus Christ, our old self can be rendered inoperative. Because of the substitutionary death of a perfect sacrifice—namely Jesus—our sins are forgiven as we trust Him. Besides that, His blood alone has redeeming, cleansing, and purifying power for every believer. Plus, the great EXCHANGE between our death to self and His resurrected life produces a life that brings forth spiritual fruit.

The believer’s biggest dilemma is how to “get out of the way” and let the Holy Spirit “get in the way”! Do you have the same difficulty that most do? However, once the big “I” goes to the cross, the big “S”—Spirit—can fill.

By the way, being Spirit-filled is ongoing, meaning it is not a once-and-for-all thing. The text suggests—go on being filled.

While we read the Word, it reads us! The Holy Spirit turns on the RED light to stop, the GREEN light to go, and the YELLOW light to slow.

4. The Christian life is an ENLARGED life! (James 4:2; Matt. 7:7-8; Eph. 3:20) – “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

Through the vehicle called Prayer, a Christian can discover God’s will.

Remember:

• If the request is wrong, He says NO!
• If the timing is off, He says SLOW!
• But if both of those are right, He says GO!

Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese