The very first verse in the whole bible speaks of the creativity of God.
The first time we are ever introduced to God, we learn that he is the ultimate creator.
The whole of Genesis 1 is a stunningly beautiful picture of how God came to into the chaos of a formless and empty universe, covered in darkness, and began to build something of great significance and beauty. He created something that reflected his glory.
God delights in creativity. He is an enormously creative God and everywhere we look, there are reminders of how creative he is. Think about some of the things He’s created – hummingbirds, chameleons, dragonflies, polar bears, leaves that change colour in the autumn, sunrises and sunsets that are more beautiful than any painted canvas, rolling rivers, bubbling streams, thunderous waterfalls… The list goes on!
God is in the business of creativity. He isn’t the distant, religious God of rules and regulations that we so often picture, the God who sits on the clouds bringing judgement and criticising, making us work for his approval.
He delights in taking the downtrodden, the broken, the isolated, the rejected, and healing, restoring and redeeming us to make something beautiful out of the ashes. Our God is so creative and when he created us in his image, he shared with us his capacity for creativity.
10 of my favourite verses on creativity in the bible
Genesis 1:27
“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”
Notice that the word “create” appears three times in this one verse. I am left in no doubt that God is a creative God, nor that he passed on his creative ability to us.
John 1:3
“God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.”
Jesus is God’s word brought to life. He is supreme over all creation and in the beginning, it was through God’s Word that all things were made. He is the one through whom everything that we see, feel and touch, as well as everything that is unseen, was formed. He is supreme over all creation, and he holds all creation together. Nothing exists apart from him – including us!
Psalm 104:24
“How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all”
God is endlessly creative. He has made everything from the smallest ant to the enormous elephants of the African plains. And yet everything designed has a purpose. It is in his wisdom that he designed all of creation to work together.
Let’s consider creation as a whole for a moment – from the perfectly planned out construction of the unseen atom to the enormity of space with its numerous stars and galaxies. It is so precisely organised, with such delicate balance and interdependence between its numerous parts. With so much variety and complexity, what an incredible God we serve that created such an intricately designed universe on so grand a scale?!
Psalm 139:14
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
Human beings were the pinnacle of his creation. Despite the enormity and wonder of everything else he created, God created us and declared that we were the best of it all. We are each fearfully and wonderfully made, created in the very image of God (Genesis 1:27) and knit together by him purposefully and intentionally (Psalm 139:13-14). We are God’s masterpiece.
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”
When God created the world, he declared that it was “good”. We are a product of God’s creativity, called to use our creativity to carry out the “good” works which God has gifted us to carry out. We are to be more like Jesus and this includes reflecting the creativity of our glorious creator.
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”
I know sometimes personally I struggle with real insecurity. I sometimes disqualify myself from things because I don’t think I’m good enough and miss or even ignore opportunities, God-given opportunities because I think, surely not me.
And yet God says that if when we choose to put our hope in Jesus, we are a new creation. Yes we aren’t perfect but we are able to do all things, exceedingly and abundantly above all we can imagine, through the power of Christ who works in us (Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 3:20-21). With the promise that God will give us not only all that we need. But more than enough, with abundant leftovers to give wherever there is need (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Isaiah 64:8
“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand”
We all have areas in our lives that we need transformation in: damaging habits, dangerous addictions, unholy language, the way we speak to people, negativity. When we become a follower of Jesus, we are saying yes to allowing God to transform us more into Christ’s likeness.
God is the potter, we are the clay. God begins to change us, to refine our actions and our choices. We are giving God the permission to craft us, to mould us, to smooth out our rough edges, and form us into something new. When we invite God into our lives, he begins to restore us, the real us, back to who we are created to be, our true selves.
Exodus 35:35
“He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.”
In Exodus 35 we see God assigning gifts and skills to his people when they are building the tabernacle. We cannot boast in any creativity we possess as our skills, talents and abilities are gifts given by his Holy Spirit.
Romans 12:6-8
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
There are so many different gifts, because God is so big, and we are all uniquely gifted for the life God has designed each of us to live. These verses remind us that whatever gift we have been given we are to use it well, for the service of God and others.
1 Corinthians 3:10
“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.”
The bible is one big story. From Genesis to Revelation, it tells us about the reign and rule of God and his love for his people – a story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. The individual stories of each person throughout contributes to this overall narrative. And His story is still being told today.
We each play a role in this story, building on the foundations that were laid before us. Yet is it up to us whether what we build will stand the test of time. 1 Corinthians urges us that whatever we do, it we want to leave a legacy when we are gone we must be wise in what we build.
Thank you father that you are an incredibly creative God. Your creation is beautiful and you are so worthy of our praise!
Help me to understand more of who you are through delighting in your creation.
And identify to me those gifts you have given to me, that I may use them to glorify you by serving others.
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