Diligence in Your Gifts
Here is a fun fact: a Christian being creative for the glory of God is an act of worship. That’s right, worship does not have to be singing hymns in church on Sundays! When God created us in His image, one of the things He gave us was a sense of creativity, much like what He used to speak the entire universe into existence (if on a much, much, much smaller scale). Engaging in a creative project — particularly in the specific flavor of creativity that God has directed you towards — and dedicating it to the Lord is worshipping God.
Your Craft is More Important than Your Pride
To paraphrase a quote from a famous, rather dusty book-turned-movie(s) you might be familiar with: pride is the creativity-killer.
It is an undeniable roadblock in a Christian creative’s ability to create for the Lord and grow in the gifts that He has given them. Every time a creative says “my skills are enough”, “I can do this all on my own”, “I don’t want anyone to help me with this”, “I don’t need any advice”, or “look at what I have created all under my own power”, they limit themselves.
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.
The Tabernacle
Choosing just a few verses for this article was difficult because the Tabernacle of the Old Testament is not a tiny project. God gives incredibly clear and specific instructions on its entire design, from the protective, outer badger skins to the intricate golden lampstands. Each and every piece of this project glorifies God in some way or another through its design, function, or purpose. And it is a fantastic thing to analyze as Christian creatives!
What Do We Mean By ‘Gifts from God’?
As stated previously, this season of ECC is going to focus on the idea of gifts from God. However, there is one little piece of clarification that needs to be made before continuing: these are not spiritual gifts. The New Testament is filled with verses on spiritual gifts, such as kindness, patience, prophecy, mercy, etc., which are not what we are going to be discussing during this blog series.
Encouraging Christian Creatives, Season 2: Gifts and Talents
Hello, dear reader!
Welcome to the second season of Encouraging the Christian Creative! I am so excited to dive into this next season and pray that God will be glorified in it!