Exodus 31

and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship.

Exodus 31:3

The Lord is telling Moses that He has filled a person with the ability to make all that He has commanded. As He says in verse six, if God has a purpose for us, He will give us the ability to fulfill that purpose. It is not by our own ability or intelligence or knowledge or craftsmanship that we are able to serve His kingdom, but it is with the helping hand of God that we are able to fulfill the purpose He has for us.

This mirrors the gospel. We cannot do it on our own, so Jesus Christ did it for us on the cross. On our own, we are not able to save ourselves from our sins because our hearts are too wicked. But Jesus Christ, being the perfect divine man, was able to die on the cross for us so that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit. If God has a purpose for us, He will fill us with the Spirit of God, giving us the ability, intelligence, knowledge, and craftsmanship to fulfill it.

This brings me a lot of peace, and it also makes me wonder what God is doing today, how He is preparing me, how He has already filled me, and how I might be able to use these things for His kingdom. It also reveals to me that without the Holy Spirit in us, we cannot effectively come to Him or serve His kingdom. We must have the Holy Spirit within us through our repentance and our faith in Jesus Christ, and this inspires me to surrender my heart more.