Day #126 - Creativity

The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭31‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Do you consider yourself creative?

I love creativity. I enjoy writing. My wife and I make an effort to go to art galleries and art museums. Beautiful art inspires my creativity to write. The same with music, I love all kinds of it. Or even just seeing a beautiful view of mountains, a river or the ocean can inspire me to worship, write and create. I love the creative process. I believe we all have an area of creativity in our life, skills, gifting or imagination because we were made in the image of the Creator.

In Exodus 31, we read about the first man in the Bible who is described as being “filled with the Spirit of God.” His name is Bezalel. We also learn that the purpose for this filling of the Spirit is to have wisdom and knowledge for the creative work of building the tabernacle of God for Israel. The Holy Spirit filled him for the special purpose of creativity.

Now in the Old Testament the vast majority of people who experience the filling of the Spirit or who have the Holy Spirit come upon their lives are prophets, priests and kings. However, the first time we see this clear description of the filling of the Spirit of God is for an artisan and craftsman.

The Holy Spirit dwells in every believer in Jesus and all who believe can be baptized in the Holy Spirit. But we learn here that a part of being filled with the Spirit is for a purpose in our life. That purpose is for our gifts and skills to be anointed by God.

The Holy Spirit partners with you in your creative calling and purpose that God designed for your life. God made you to do something in this life and part of the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives is to empower us to live out that calling that only we can fulfill. As our friend Dr. Stephen List loves to preach, “You are not just anointed for ministry, you are anointed for living.” Or we could say you are not just filled with the Spirit for church and ministry tasks, you are filled with the Spirit for living.

Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit as an artist, a painter, a writer, a photographer, a dancer, a banker, a baker, a lawyer, a parent, a child or a leader. The Holy Spirit can fill your life to anoint you for creativity wherever God has called you and it will be for His glory and the world’s joy.

Lord, thank you for the filling of the Holy Spirit to anoint me for my purpose and to empower creativity in my life. I yield my life to You. I want to be consecrated unto you and use my gifts, skills and abilities for Your glory. Let my whole life be an offering of love and worship unto You. In Jesus name, amen.