I apologize in advance: This this post has nothing directly related to the New Year! It is simply reflects a passage of Scripture which caught my eye a while ago. I promise it'll be worth the read. Please post comments below, or email me back sometime, your feedback really is valued!
Let's get into it. What do you think of when you hear the word... success?
Fame? Fortune? Money? Ranking in a music, or any other type of chart? Don't worry, this is not a blog about what you should define success as, you already know enough about that.
Fame? Fortune? Money? Ranking in a music, or any other type of chart? Don't worry, this is not a blog about what you should define success as, you already know enough about that.
This is a post to tell you that God wants you to be successful.
In fact, no matter where you are at in life right now, God has success planned for you.
Success is a Bible word... and even though it's slightly controversial in some religious circles to say this, God, in His Holy book of Scripture, has actually promised you success! Read Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 1, a whole bunch of Proverbs - in fact, pretty much the whole bible, and you'll see that God's plan for you is..... success. In fact, I could even exegete that God wants it for you more than you do.
It's obvious that it will look different for different people. We are all in different stages of life, and we all have different talents and abilities. Certainly, God's promises will also outwork differently for us, than to what he intended in Bible times. The original readers of Proverbs 16:3 probably weren't planning to record, promote and sell a DVD of a live dance performance! However, they can still be read and applied today.
Let's look at one particular promise, and think about what it could mean for us today - as a bunch of people CALLED to the creative arts and the media parts of society.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
(Genesis 12:2-3)
Basically, this is God speaking to Abraham (at the time called Abram).
Let's break this down. There's a prize for anyone who reads this right through!
1. "I will make you into a great nation"- an influential tribe.
Let's break this down. There's a prize for anyone who reads this right through!
1. "I will make you into a great nation"- an influential tribe.
God is talking to all that have a passion for Jesus, and a talent, or a gift relating to the arts or the media. He says He'll make us into great group of people.
Not without quirks and faults, but we will be great.
In what sense? Jesus put it quite bluntly: "Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 20:26)
If we want to be great in God's kingdom, we need to be focused on how we can use our talents and abilities to serve others. Sure we might need someone to look at us while we're doing it, but our gifts are ultimately for other peoples benefit, not ours.
When we think of it this way, any temptation to compromise our beliefs or values is a no-brainer.
2. "and I will bless you"
Can you imagine what it feels like to be blessed by God?
Imagine having success, in your industry, from God. THAT is an amazing thought.
What if it became more than a thought?
3. "I will bless those who bless you"
You will have allies, to get where you need to go, and they will come from surprising places.
Non-believers will support you, because God said he'd bless those who bless you!
Have you seen the new Hobbit movie? Remember when the Dwarves needed to cross the lake to escape the Orcs? Help came, just at the right time, from a very unlikely source. Destiny is on our side too...
There will be believers in your industry who form closer bonds of fellowship than ever before. Many believers have yet to know the real meaning of that word (Koinonia, in the Greek), but they will.
Of course you will have enemies to your cause, but Romans 8:31 says "If God is for us, who can be against us?" We're supposed to love our enemies, but anyone who curses us, will eventually be cursed... we'll be "all good" in the end.
4. "...And all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
HOW COOL IS THAT???
Let's dream a little bit. Imagine having pop & movie stars that honour God in what they do, and generally sing and act in ways that you'd feel comfortable with your 4 year old listening in.
Imagine knowing that the top CEOs of the top media companies acted with a social conscience, and didn't say yes to promoting a music artist or video that uses woman as a masturbation device.
Imagine rappers that have something to say, movies that speak life and values into our culture, TV shows that educate and entertain instead of numb the minds of our kids.
Imagine YouTube ads that had high standards of what to allow, and what not to allow! (Yes I've been mentally scarred by some!!!)
Imagine having the latest mainstream, block-buster video games NOT contain glorified crime and violence, and porn. (Sorry, I know too many 13 year olds that have played GTA not to have a go at it.)
Imagine having godly people that love Jesus, that aren't "religious" or full of judgement or condemnation for other people in the industry, but are filled with love and compassion for everyone they meet, and ULTIMATELY for the society that they are called to influence... Imagine having THOSE sorts of people, succeed.
That's what I see for the future of the arts and entertainment industry. The movement is building right now, whether people like it or not.
Will you be a part of it?
