Seek First the Kingdom of God
One of the primary duties of any Christian — regardless of creative level — is to “seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Basically, every Christian should be pursuing God’s interests, His will, and His path for their lives as citizens of His Kingdom…which sounds like a lot. And it also sounds like a lot of “religiousness”. Imagery of days spent like monks and nuns meditating only on God and doing charity work all of the time kind of comes to mind.
While those things are definitely good — meditating on God and doing charity work — God also provides us with other work for His Kingdom. Sometimes that work is a job and a career so that we can feed our families, donate to our churches, and witness to our coworkers. Sometimes that work is raising kids and homemaking, pouring Scripturally-based morals and values into the next generation. Sometimes that work is as small as being patient with a friend when they are having a bad day, or being polite to a waiter.
Basically, there is no end to how many different ways we can seek the Kingdom of God in out mundane, ordinary, day-to-day lives.
And, that also means, that we can — and should — pursue God’s Kingdom when it comes to our creativity.
So, what does that mean…practically?
It means pursuing your creativity with God’s heart in mind. It means creating things in ways that glorify Him (i.e. do not glorify sin). It means diving deeply into His Word to strengthen and sharpen your spirit. It means diligently following the path He leads you down. It means accepting the fact that you can delight in your craft. It means surrounding yourself with fellow Christian creatives and the Body of Christ, so that you can strengthen each other. It means understanding that the primary purpose of your creativity is actually to glorify God, and not yourself. It means a lot of prayer.
If that sounds like a long checklist of “thou shalts”, do not worry, Christian! This should not be a checklist, but a mindset and a heart posture! If you are faithfully pursuing your relationship with God and diligently (to the best of your abilities) listening to the Holy Spirit, all of these things will start to come naturally to you. And, as time goes on, none of it will feel like a burden. Instead, it’ll become something you are pursuing joyfully out of love for the Lord!
Putting it into Action
If you have never sought the Kingdom of God in your creativity, now is the time to do so! Next time you are working on something creative, take a moment to pray for God’s strength, wisdom, and guidance in your project. Then, reframe your mindset with the idea that this project — and your creativity as a whole — has the potential to be incredibly useful for the Kingdom of God. How does that knowledge shape the way you create? How does knowing that your creativity can be — and is — part of God’s larger design for the church? How does YOUR citizenship in God’s Kingdom change the way you look at what He’s given you to do?
And, if the task feels daunting, remember that God tells us His burdens are easy and His yokes are light!
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.”
