COLOSSIANS 3:9-10

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

TO PONDER

I mentioned yesterday that creativity is one of God's characteristics. He created the heavens and the earth and everything in them, he took a day off at the end of all that creating and then began creating his plan of salvation and redemption for everything he had just made.

Being made in the image of God, we all have at least some spark of creativity in us. It might be more obvious in some people than in others, and it might not be the artistic kind of creativity we usually first think of; it might be the ability to find creative solutions to difficult problems. (It's okay mathematicians and scientists we know you can be creative too!)

But too often we take these creative gifts and turn them to our own selfish and dishonest ends. The example in today's reading is lying. Any parents out there will instantly recognise how quickly children learn to use their creativity to concoct the most imaginative and creative stories in the hopes that they might shift the blame of some unfortunate incident onto someone or something else and weasel their way out of trouble with mum or dad. And kids out there reading this, don't be fooled, your parents see right through your stories!

But today's reeding encourages us to surrender even our creativity to God and to allow him to sue it and us to partner with him in his work of creation and renewal. It basically tells us to stop using our creativity to find loopholes and to create interesting ways of getting ourselves out of trouble. We are now new creations in Christ, we have no need to get ourselves out of trouble, Jesus has already done that for us. Instead, let God inspire you with his Holy Spirit and use the creative gifts he has placed in you to work wit him to bring his plans to fruition both in your life and in the lives of those around you. You might be amazed at just how creative God gets when you let him call the shots!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, the wonders of your creation are without end, and you have given us the ability to recognise the beauty and wonder of your creation by placing creativity in us. Please help me to use my creativity only in ways that bring glory and honour to you and help me to always see your creative fingerprints at work in the world around me. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle