Bible Reading: Genesis 1:1 & John 1:1-3
I’m the creative type. I enjoy drawing on paper and on my Windows tablet. I like creating video presentations for my church’s worship services. I also love to write!
At one time, I worried that spending time writing or drawing meant that I was wasting that time. I thought I should be using that time to do “serious” work for God.
Then, as I read my Bible, I noticed something. God, my Heavenly Father, and Jesus, my Lord and Savior, are both creative types, too!
The Bible starts right out in the very first verse, Genesis 1:1, saying “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God’s very first act in our universe was creative! And how amazingly creative...thousands and of types of insects, fish, birds, and animals, not to mention a huge variety of stars, planets, asteroids, and comets. Then there are all of the trees, flowers, bushes, shrubs, and fruits and vegetables.
Look out your window or even at the person across the room and you will see example after example of God’s creativity. God wasn’t content to create one person, He has created millions!
If we look again at scripture, this time turning to John 1:1-3 we read, “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him [Jesus, the Word] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” These verses tell us two things. One, Jesus, is God. Two, Jesus worked with God in creating the world!
Knowing that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ were both so amazingly creative helped me realize that God loves creativity. He created people to be creative. That creativity shows itself in as many unique ways as there people. God wants us to do creative things for four reasons.
First, God wants us to use creativity to develop unique and interesting ways to share the good news of Jesus with people who don’t know about Jesus and the salvation He offers.
Second the God-given gift of creativity is to be used to encourage, bless, inspire, and help one another.
Third, we are to use our ability to create to bring honor to God, to worship God, and to please God.
Fourth, God gave us the desire to be creative and the ability to create simply for our own enjoyment. Psalm 126:3 say, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” One of the many, many great thing God has done for us is to give us the ability to create, to enjoy being creative, and to get joy out of our creations.
Knowing all this about God and knowing that God created me to be creative has changed my attitude about my art and writing.
God has given us all ways to be creative. Maybe you don’t write or draw, but instead you sing, dance, sculpt, do carpentry work, paint houses or arrange knickknacks on shelves or photos in albums. I hope you will thank God for the creating you to be creative. I hope that you will live creatively and enjoy using your God-given creative gift to bring joy to God, to other people, and to yourself!
“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.” Isaiah 45:7
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I’m glad You are the creative type. Your creations are amazing and beautiful! Thank you for making me to be creative, too. Help me to honor you in all I create. In Jesus’ name. Amen.