Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship, to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all kinds of workmanship. Behold, I myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the heart of all who are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat that is on it, all the furniture of the Tent, the table and its vessels, the pure lamp stand with all its vessels, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its vessels, the basin and its base, the finely worked garments—the holy garments for Aaron the priest, the garments of his sons to minister in the priest’s office— the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded you they shall do.””
(Exodus 31:1-11)

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place. For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God in those who are saved and in those who perish: to the one a stench from death to death, to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.“
(2 Corinthians 2:14-17)

This was a big task set before the Israelites. It wasn’t just making a tabernacle. It was matching the tabernacle in Heaven (Exodus 25:40). It was making something worthy of being sanctified by Lord for worship. This was going to be work and this was going to be challenging. But God doesn’t ask us to do things we cannot do. He always asks us to do what He has already empowered us to do. He provides the ability first, and then the calling. Preparation time, equipping time, or training time occurs between when He provides it and when He calls us to begin. But it all starts with God providing what we will need to succeed.

The life of a believer in Jesus is impossible. We are unable to do it successfully. It takes a perfect person to succeed. None of us are perfect. So God provided Jesus. Jesus provided Himself before creation was created (Revelation 13:8). God provided the Way before He called to us (John 6:44). In Jesus we find the sufficiency to succeed because Jesus succeeded for us. We don’t have to forge the trail, we only need to follow Him on the trail He blazed. We walk in what He created for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). Our task is big. It will require work. It is challenging. But God made the Way for us to succeed: Jesus. In HIM, we overcome because HE overcame for us.

Summary

We were lacking direction. We were blown about by the winds of the world. But then Jesus came for us (1 Peter 2:11-25). He is our Shepherd, our protector, and our guide. He leads us. He guides us. He made the Way and He walks us along it. He is our example. And He is our connection. Without Jesus, we cannot succeed (John 15:1-5). In Jesus, we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). He empowers us. He guides us. He is how we live, how we succeed, and how we progress along the path of where we are called to be. It is ALL about Jesus.