We Are Called to Create

“One of the dangers of having a lot of money is that you may be quite satisfied with the kinds of happiness money can give, and so fail to realize your need for God. If everything seems to come simply by signing checks, you may forget that you are at every moment totally dependent on God.” – C. S. Lewis

The world tells us we need to work to accumulate fame and fortune for ourselves and to prove we are important and have value and worth. Simply put, the world puts value on what we do, not who we are.

But this isn’t true. It’s a deception of the devil. The world’s way offers false security, false happiness. It’s fleeting happiness dependent on things, not on who God says we are, on how he values us. The world’s way is a call to serve mammon, to use our work and accomplishments and money to show our importance and value. In the Old Testament, mammon is a false god that will demand and demand and demand more and more from us. The god of mammon will never be satisfied, no matter what we do.

And doing things the world’s way never satisfies us. What we truly need cannot be found in the world..

Jesus is the one who achieved what we seek. He is the ultimate measure of our worth and value. He died for us. Nothing we do on our own can take the place of that. Any fame or fortune we gain will never measure up to what Jesus did for us. Worldly wealth and stature can never gain us eternal life in heaven.

Sometimes we forget all Jesus has done, and we focus on our writing as if we are using our accomplishments to cover up our weaknesses and doubts, in essence, our sin nature. It’s like we are using our writing to add more value to ourselves. We can’t add more value than what he’s already done.

The work of Jesus completed our salvation. We can’t add to it. His work is complete. He gives us unsurpassable value. His sacrifice and resurrection also give us holy motivation for our writing. The Gospel of Jesus frees us to craft stories, not for ourselves, but for him. Jesus frees and empowers us to create for the pure joy of creating and to be partners with him in spreading the Good News.

We are called to write, but from a godly perspective. According to 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT), “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

Let’s do everything we do to thank God for all he’s done for us..

As writers, we create works to inspire others, to encourage others, to give to others, to share Jesus with others. Even when writing seems a drudge, even when we are not inspired or when the muse is silent, we are called to create, to keep writing through the muck.

Writing stories is a joyful task because it honors Jesus and his work on the cross, as well as his work in and through us.

The ultimate joy of our creativity is the reward he will have for us when we join him in heaven.

What stirs inside you when you hear the call to create?