A while ago I wrote a short manifesto for creative Christian marketplace. Ministry. You can download a copy at https://www.davidleemartin.net/manifesto.
The manifesto was originally titled ‘Made To be A Maker’.
You are created in God’s image with creative DNA infused with Christ’s anointing to serve the world.
Reading today I was reminded of my Manifesto and felt impressed to share a few more thoughts to encourage your creative, entrepreneurial journey.
Sanctified Skill
The seedbed of inspiration for me is found in some of the final chapters of Exodus.
One of the most interesting portions is found in the record of building of the tabernacle. God anointed certain people to give tangibility to His designs and purposes through their artisanal skills.
Take these words from Exodus 35:10 for example:
“Every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded” (Exodus 35:10 KJV)
The wise-hearted come and make, as directed by the Lord.
Here is a directive we can all choose to take hold of.
First Come to God
“And every wise hearted among you shall come.”
Wisdom teaches us that first we come to God to hear His directions.
A person can gain the whole world and lose their own soul. How foolish would it be to become a creative success story and ultimately fall into the inevitable and abysmal end that selfishness leads to?
Your creative destiny is not about you! There’s a bigger picture at play that we are invited to enter into.
The wonderful truth is, like the artisans of old, God calls upon our current learning and skills and sanctifies them toward his habitation and purposes. He inhabits the praises of His people, and your honest service offered through the passionate and purposeful use of your gifts. The skills, expertise, and experiences you have worked to acquire can become something extraordinary when they are consecrated to God.
Your making becomes praise to the Maker.
And Make
“…and make…”
It is wise to make things, to exercise creativity, and apply yourself diligently to creative endeavors. Making is a mirror of the Maker Himself at work in and through you.
Works of service take many forms, and your unique gifts can be used by Him in powerful and profound ways.
Bezaleel and other wise-hearted artisans may not have realized how pivotal their artistic skills were. Even today there’s a danger that a handful of skills are considered sacred whilst others are frowned upon as secular.
Scriptures show however that we can be “filled with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.”
These men and women brought an array of practical skills designed to bring beauty to the world. They were not preachers or priests in the conventional sense. Yet God’s anointing came upon them and guided their hands just as much as it came upon the Levites in their realm of spiritual service.
The artist’s “making” was a powerful means of service to the King, and to His people.
The Maker’s Blueprint
“all that the LORD hath commanded”
One of the most inspiring lessons the tabernacle can teach us is that God has, and shares with His people, detailed plans.
As a Christian Creative, tuned to the voice of the Creator and the Shepherd of your soul, you too can build according to His plans. Every detail of the tabernacle was intricately communicated.
Today in Christ we are told:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV)
Consider carefully how the Master describes your life. Do you think the attention He gave to the design and implementation of the tabernacle is any less than the attention He has lavished upon preparing plans for you?
David understood this wonderful truth when he exclaimed:
“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17 KJV)
God has a pathway for you to walk, a purpose for you to fulfil in Christ. It is His design and making, and the wise-hearted will seek it out so they can follow His instructions.
It may not be easy, and the noisy ambitions of the flesh will seek to drown Him out, but the still, small voice still speaks.
“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”(Isaiah 30:21 KJV)
Our part as anointed artists and artisans is to listen carefully, and obey fully. It’s the wisest thing to do.
