Keeping It in Balance!

Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Jesus did not say go make artists, musicians, singers, dancers, actors, athletes, etc. This is just to remind those of us who desire to use our gifts for God and His Kingdom not to get out of balance with first ourselves being a disciple & then being used (through our lifestyles, our time, our words, our gifts, etc.) to influence others to become disciples too.

Since Jesus said teach them to observe all that I commanded you, here are just a "few" reminders of His commands:

Mark 12:30-31 - You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength (ahead of loving dance, art, sports, etc.), and love your neighbor as yourself (the first and second greatest commands per Jesus).

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
My paraphrase of this verse for artists: Seek and desire to use all that you are and all of your gifts for God's purpose and glory alone - for the sake of advancing His agenda and not your fame or for the sake of recognition and the applause of man, and seek to know the Lord intimately through time in prayer and His Word. As a result and by His grace, your entire life and all you create or participate in as an artist will be a reflection of His love and truth, and His dream (or dreams) for you will come to pass.  (Interestingly, Matthew 6:32 - states that after "all these things" the gentiles seek - or in other words, those who do not know the Lord, worry and seek after getting their daily needs met (for food, shelter and clothing) and do not know how to trust God to meet these needs.  As artists, who are also followers of Christ, we have to remember that, likewise, artists who do not know the Lord, seek after their own fame and glory through their God-given gifts, and this is not what God has called His sons and daughters to, but instead, we are to stay in tune with the Spirit's leading and direction and seek to please and honor Him with all of our gifts and talents.

1 Corinthians 10:31 - .....whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Luke 9:23 - Then Jesus said to all - "Anyone who wants to follow Me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to Me!"

Are we His glorious image in the earth?

We have to be willing to place our dreams on the altar again and again, remembering that, above any dream (or vision), God the Father is more concerned with us being molded into the image of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

2 Corinthians 3:18 - "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord.  And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

Are You a Modern Day Levite?

Are you set apart and consecrated for the service and worship of the Lord?

Consecration - a term we do not hear very often today - it means the devoting or setting apart of anything to the worship or service of God.*

Levite - a descendant of the tribe of Levi (Exodus 6:25; Leviticus 25:32; Numbers 35:2; Joshua 21:3,41). Generally used as the title of that portion of the tribe set apart for subordinate offices of the sanctuary service (1 Kings 8:4; Ezra 7:70), as assistants to the priests. They were selected for this purpose because of their zeal for the glory of God (Exodus 32:26). They were the special guardians of the tabernacle (Numbers 1:51; 18:22-24).*

Moses was commanded to take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean (Numbers 8:5-7). In 2 Chronicles 7:1-3, at the dedication of the Temple, when Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground and worshiped and gave thanks.*

*Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary and www.biblegateway.com

We are now the temple of the Holy Spirit (the place where God's glory and presence is supposed to dwell (1 Corinthians 3:16) and our God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24; Hebrews 12:29). If we continually place ourselves on the altar, we will be consumed with Him and His glory will be revealed in and through us.

Could it be that many of us are not consecrated because we are more consumed with the things of the world and the things of the flesh, rather than the Spirit of God?

Do you have a zeal or passion for the glory of God? (Exodus 32:26)

Are you a conduit for God's presence to be experienced in the earth?

We are a royal priesthood, called to be set apart for the purpose of revealing God's glory (1 Peter 2:9) - hence a modern day Levite so to speak.

Romans 11:36 tells us that "of Him and through Him and to Him are all things and to Him be the glory forever." The verses immediately following in Romans 12:1-2 then command us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, renew our minds according to God's word, so that we can be transformed into His image (not conformists to our culture), and thru this surrender, we will prove or demonstrate God's will. Perhaps, we are not seeing more of God's glory personally and/or in the corporate body of Christ, because so few are truly offering themselves, being transformed by the Word, and fully surrendering in every area of our lives.

The After Effect

What do people feel or sense after they see your art - your music, your painting, your dance, your drama? Do they sense God's presence, or even peace or joy or inspiration?

Philippians 4:8 (The Message Bible) - Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do your best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, and gracious -- the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.