Ezra 7:6 says of Ezra that “he was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses …”. This is an important statement, and it is no accident that it is mentioned as his character is introduced into this story. It should remind us all that God uses our preparation and skill for His kingdom purposes.

As we look in this book at how God used Ezra, it was not just that God took an unskilled, untrained person and had him do all sorts of incredible things to lead His people. No, it says that Ezra was “skilled.” God used his education and training to make him the minister He wanted him to be.

The same thing was true of Moses, who grew up with the background and training of the Egyptian court, and of the Apostle Paul, who was trained as a Pharisee and who was taught at the feet of the esteemed teacher Gamaliel. Although these men were indeed anointed by God in a special way, He also used their training and skills in the work He had planned for them.

This is a good word for many of us. We should not just sit around and hope that somehow God will “zap” us with the spiritual power to lead and share and bless others and be useful for His kingdom. We should indeed seek the power of His Spirit for our work; it is irreplaceable. But we also need to realize that God will use the education and training we receive as part of His plan for us. Therefore we should be sure to “sharpen our instruments” so that we may be as useful as we can possibly be for His kingdom and glory.

Do not fall into the trap of thinking that neglecting your education and training is somehow “spiritual.” You will only limit the ways in which God can use you. Prepare yourself today, so that God will use you in even greater ways tomorrow.