master of all trades...

recently someone said: i am master of all trades, jack of none. it got me thinking: jesus, our lord and savior himself, apart from being the one sent to save mankind, was a master of many trades. In fact, scriptures go on to describe him as a well-balanced man: Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

this really tells me that Jesus studiously immersed himself in spirituality and scripture as a child (declaring to his anxious parents when they once lost him: how is it you sought me, don't you know i had to be in my father's house?). so he earned a degree in divinity as a firstborn son who sought the will of the father, and sat at the feet of the lord soaking in learning of the highest order. he started young, when most children love to skip school, climb trees and play games.

born into this world, when not atop a mountain with his lord, jesus actively hung around folks from all walks of life. that was his degree in sociology. he saw the needs of humanity (essentially love, healing, physical needs), and picked up the social skills to become a mentor capable of instilling confidence in those without self-esteem, imparting hope and faith to hopeless individuals. even those in successful professions followed jesus seeing in him a leader to emulate, someone to follow and die for. so jesus raised up men for the kingdom of god because he learned to become a leader who anointed others to become bearers of the faith.

practical skills are valuable in life and jesus earned his vocational stripes busying himself in his family trade: carpentry, to the extent of actually earning a singular distinction among his townsmen: the carpenter.

i often encourage the boys in our ministry to look at a means to earn daily bread through an occupation that can be learned in a month or so, on the job, without a specialised degree course. I give them a few examples: basic accounts, driving, computers, farming, or carpentry!

the apostle paul was a tentmaker by profession, a religious scholar of the highest caliber, a expert on jewish law, one who understood that the commission could only be fulfilled by empowering others to become leaders.