This week we continue looking at God as the Creator and how creativity affects our spiritual life.

God used skilled artists and craftsman to create His house of worship. He wanted it to be a place of beauty where His glory dwelt. His desire was that the beauty of His house be the visual director pointing the people to Him.

Creators With A Mission

In Exodus chapter 31 to 36 scripture describes the men and women who helped to create the tabernacle, tools and instruments used in worship. Bezalel and Oholiab were two of these men. God chose them to be the head artisans of the tabernacle.

 The Lord said to Moses,  “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,  and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. Exodus 31: 1-4 ESV

And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you:  the tent of meeting, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent,  the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense,  and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin and its stand,  and the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests,  and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.” Exodus 31:5-11 ESV

God took these artists and gave them a very important job to do. To create a beautiful house for Him to dwell and for the people to worship Him alone.

The people of Israel had been worshipping golden calves after being delivered from Egypt and seeking after other gods. God was angry for a time with them.

He wanted to be reconciled with them. God desired to show them how great and glorious His hand of mercy was in their lives. He wanted to teach them that He alone deserved the glory as their Creator and Deliverer.

As artists and creators we should take note of what this means for our lives. God desires to direct our hearts towards His love for us in each thing we do. That includes the work we do. We need to have a humility before our Creator because He is our God, the One who shaped and formed us and gave us all intelligence and beautiful ideas. If we do not learn to see the work we create as important to God and His glory, then we have missed the point of creation.

Remember that our work can quickly become a god in our lives if we let it. It can replace our relationship with our Creator and affect everything we do. We need to continually seek the guidance and love of God as we seek to glorify Him in our creativity.

Above and Beyond For God

The people of Israel wanted to please God. They brought Him whatever goods they had to help create this dwelling place. They gave above and beyond what was needed in their desire to create beauty for God’s glory.

 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work.  And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary.

They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing,  and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.”  So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing,  for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more. Exodus 36:2-7 ESV

When creating, we should always seek to glorify God above and beyond what we feel is our best. Not so much in the perfection of the piece of work, but within our heart and our intentions for that work. God wants to see us delight in glorifying Him and seeking after His heart for our lives.

A Reflection of Glory

God wanted His house of worship to reflect who He is. He is majestic and awe inspiring. The most glorious One. His light shines with that glory as gold and silver would shine. He deserves only the best and finest we can bring to offer Him of ourselves and of our creativity.

 And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. Exodus 36:8 ESV

 He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it.  And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver.  He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework,  and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze. Exodus 36: 35-38

The Gift of A Tool

The beauty around us is a tool for building our relationship with God. God deserves the glory of the creation which He created in the first place. He has endowed our minds and hearts with artistic and creative skills, whether that be to paint, cook delicious food, write beautiful words, crafting, woodworking, or whatever skill which you possess that is creative. Begin to see these skills as a gift and a tool to be used to draw you closer to your Creator and Father God.

God’s desire is to bring all humanity into reconciliation with Him, away from the darkness of sin and death. He longs for us to see the light of His son Jesus Christ illuminate our lives in every aspect and that includes our creative lives too.

The light of Jesus Christ will create the most beautiful of all dwelling places in your heart. God’s spirit will come and dwell within you when you invite the truth and the light of Jesus inside.

I encourage you this week to seek the light of God and of Jesus Christ His son. Let that light and His truth illuminate every aspect of your creative work. Get into the scriptures and seek out what the bible has to say about the light of Christ and what His light brings to your life.

Blessings of Beauty on Your Week!

Laura