Do Not Fear Using Your Gift for God’s Glory
This season of Encouraging Christian Creatives has talked a lot about what to do with our God-given creative gifts, and it all kind of funnels into this singular idea: using these talents, abilities, and skills for God’s glory.
Now, giving one’s talents and abilities to God’s glory involves just a tiny step of faith…or, perhaps — occasionally — a very large one…
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 and His Kingdom as a whole…which sounds like a lot. And it sounds like a lot of “religiousness”. Days spent like monks and nuns meditating only on God and doing charity work all of the time.
While those things are definitely good — meditating on God and doing charity work — God also provides us with other work for His Kingdom…
Just Because It’s in Your Heart Doesn’t Mean God Put it There
So, you’ve got something on your heart. That little, soft nagging of ‘this project’ or ‘this skill’ or ‘this audience’. Something that could only be supernatural within your chest pointing you in a specific direction to use your talents and abilities. Maybe you’re super duper excited about this! Maybe you’re telling everyone “Hey, God’s put this thing on my heart!” And maybe you are 100% correct! God speaks to us in a myriad of ways and a lot of times that includes putting something or someone specific on our heart.
However…
Do Not Use Your Gift for Evil
It is really, really important that we know what it looks like to “use our gifts for evil” (hint: it doesn’t always involve maniacal laughter and mustache twirling in dark shadows of an evil lair). Then we know when to repent and how to course correct.
Give Your Gifts to the Lord
Here’s a question for you, Christian creative: have you ever given your gifts back to the Lord as an offering?
The Mindset of An Advisor
Knowing exactly how to give feedback and why it is so important to provide healthy, honest criticism about a fellow creative’s project is key to building up the creative department of God’s Kingdom! You might not feel ready — or you might feel a little too ready — but, regardless, the ball is in your court.
Being a Bezalel
The first Biblically recorded instance of a person being gifted the Holy Spirit is Bezalel. If you are unsure of who that is, you are not alone! He was no great prophet like Moses, or mighty man like Samson, and he wasn’t one of the Twelve Disciples or a member of Paul’s ministry. No, Bezalel was a craftsman.