This week our church held revival meetings, so I have had less time to work.
However part of being an effective Christian writer is having a right relationship with God. Without this relationship there is simply no basis to call yourself a Christian writer. Therefore the time spent at the meetings was worth every second.
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| Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash |
When I felt the Lord pressing me to write, I needed to pray. I needed to be sure that this was the direction the Lord would have me go. While I love to write, it does not supercede my passion for God's Word and the message of God's love.
The greatest message I could ever share with another person glorifies God:
the salvation from our slavery to sin through the death, burial and resurrection of of Lord Jesus Christ--That indeed we can receive eternal life and a relationship with God when we repent, recognizing our sinful nature and need for a savior, and call upon the name of the Lord.
We are drawn to the Lord because our make-up is to worship something. My words must draw my readers to worship God. Worshiping God begins with salvation.
While not every story I write lends itself to the presentation of the Gospel, I would hope that a reader, having enjoyed one such story, would pick up another that has the clear message of the Gospel.
I believe in the importance of discipleship, which I think can readily be done through a well written piece of fiction, but no discipleship can happen if the person doesn't first believe, therefore the greater message is the Gospel.
To write the Gospel will bring offense:
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you." (John 15:9)
"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me." John 16:1-3.
However, I am commanded from scripture to do just that:
"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel..." (Mark 16:15).
Therefore, if my work is completely void of this most important message to mankind I am not obeying God and cannot glorify Him. Sermons can be preached on this, books can be written, but the bottom-line: for me to glorify God, I must surrender everything to Him, including my writing, and that means my writing will have a message.
Once this purpose was established in my heart my work on my knees just began. Daily I must pray for my readers. Daily I must lay my work before the Lord and ask that His hand be in it. Daily I must surrender my thoughts, my mind, and my heart to the Lord so that I will work according to His perfect will. These are essential. Without praying and committing myself to the Lord I might as well lay down my pen for my work would be worthless.
To God be all glory, honor, power and praise!
