For two and a half weeks the contents of my kitchen have been stacked in piles around the rest of the house while we had the cabinets and drawers painted. It wouldn’t have taken so long except for the three day freeze and the two days of Jack not feeling well so the painter didn’t come.

Ben, the painter, is a remarkable craftsman. He is multi talented and meticulous , hand painting all the cabinets and drawers with a small brush and applying two coats. I was fascinated to see him rinse his brush, shake off the water, wipe the brush on his jeans; and there wasn’t the slightest streak of paint on his clothes. I stared, probably rudely, whenever he performed that ritual.

Ben reminded me of Bezalel in the Old Testament; God had “filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.” (Exodus 35:31)

Ben is a native Texan, and a gold mime of information and stories about North Texas, going back as far as the post Civil War time. We appreciated his skill in transforming our kitchen, and even more his honest and conscientious character. It was easy to see that the Spirit of God had done some work in Ben.

When David, skilled only in the sling-shot, reported to King Saul, he said, “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has denied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” ( 1 Samuel 17:37)

The secret of David and Bezalel lies in their knowing and remembering the source of their successes. When that happens we witness our most remarkable achievements. Through all his struggles, David never forgot the source of his victory over Goliath. “But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:21-22) And this is true for everyone who believes.” It is true today of Ben, the painter.

Love in Him,

Prue