Gifted by the Spirit: Why God Cares About Your Creativity

I’m still teaching from the book of Exodus. While writing my sermon last week, I was struck by the story of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Millions have stood in awe of its towering spires, stained glass, and stunning beauty. Allison and I have had the chance to see it ourselves. But what truly captures my imagination isn’t just the finished cathedral. It’s the people who built it.

Construction started in 1163 and took nearly two centuries to complete. Generation after generation dedicated their entire working lives to a building they knew they would never see finished. We remember a few architects and bishops, but we know almost nothing about the thousands of ordinary craftsmen who actually did the work.

Stonecutters. Carpenters. Blacksmiths. Laborers hauling limestone. Artists carving flowers, angels, and biblical scenes high above where few people would ever notice the details. Some spent decades shaping stones that would eventually disappear behind walls or support arches hidden from view.

Why would someone devote a lifetime to such work?

Because they believed they weren’t building for their own reputation. They were building for the glory of God. Their creative work became an act of worship.

I think we often underestimate what God can do through ordinary faithfulness. We imagine significance belongs to those with platforms, titles, or public recognition. But the kingdom of God has always been built by ordinary men and women quietly offering their gifts to the Lord: a business owner conducting business with integrity, parents faithfully raising children, a retiree praying daily for the church, an artist creating beauty, a deacon serving the lonely, a children’s ministry volunteer opening God’s Word to young hearts.

Most of those names will never appear in history books. But God knows every one of them.

That is exactly the kind of vision we encounter in Exodus 31. We’ve been in this section of Exodus about the priesthood and the tabernacle. But then, it’s like the spotlight changes. Instead of priests, we meet artists.

God names Bezalel and Oholiab, along with lots of other unnamed craftsmen, to build the tabernacle and everything in it. The first thing Scripture highlights about them isn’t just that they’re talented. It tells us they’re filled with the Spirit of God.

That should immediately remind us of Genesis 1. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation now empowers these craftsmen to participate in God’s creative work. The Spirit who brought order out of chaos now equips ordinary people to build a place where God will dwell among His people.

This is more than just a practical reminder that creativity is good or even needed. It reflects something fundamental about who God is.

We were created in God’s image. Our creativity doesn’t rival His, but it echoes His. Every time we build, design, compose, write, carve, garden, cook, sing, solve problems, or create beauty, we are reflecting something of the Creator Himself.

That should be a tremendous encouragement to artists, builders, musicians, engineers, teachers, designers, and makers of every kind. Your gifts matter to God. They are not merely hobbies or career skills. They can become acts of worship offered back to the One who gave them.

Also, notice that God never intended this work to be done alone. Bezalel is gifted. Oholiab is gifted. But neither is expected to build the tabernacle by himself. God distributes gifts throughout His people and then calls them into shared creative work. The beauty of the tabernacle would emerge through collaboration, not individual achievement.

That pattern continues throughout Scripture. God delights in building His kingdom through communities of gifted people serving together.

After introducing us to the artists and their work, Exodus 31 takes a turn that feels a bit unexpected. The chapter again returns to the topic of the Sabbath.

It’s a really interesting connection. God’s people are encouraged to use their creativity for six days, but then they’re told to take a break. If the tabernacle is a space set apart for the holy, then the Sabbath is a time set apart for the holy.

By building the tabernacle, Israel made a special place for God to be. By keeping the Sabbath, they made time for God to be with them. Together, they showed Israel that life isn’t just about getting things done. It’s about resting and worshiping.

God himself set this rhythm in creation. He worked for six days and rested on the seventh—not because he was tired, but because he was setting a pattern for his people. Our culture often tells us that we’re valuable because we’re productive. We might think that if we just do a little more, create a little more, achieve a little more, we’ll finally be enough.

But the Sabbath gently breaks that idea down. It reminds us that our work can’t save us. We’re limited creatures who need rest because we need grace.

For Christians, the Sabbath finds its meaning in Jesus Christ. He is our true rest. He is the Lord of the Sabbath. We stop trying to earn God’s approval because Christ has already done what we could never do. Our work is important, but it’s no longer the foundation of who we are. Our identity is secure in Jesus.

That’s why Exodus 31 continues to speak so powerfully today. God has given each of us gifts. Some are artistic. Some are practical. Some are organizational. Some are relational. Whatever they are, they’ve been given to us by the Spirit to bring glory to God.

I hope we at City Line Church become a church that not only values those gifts but also actively helps them grow. Not just to fill volunteer spots or keep church programs going, but to creatively advance the kingdom of God by being involved with God’s work in the world.

Just like the builders of the tabernacle, the craftsmen of Notre-Dame, and countless faithful believers throughout history whose names have faded into the background. The kingdom of God has never been achieved by a single, extraordinary individual. It has always been the result of ordinary people using their Spirit filled gifts to serve an extraordinary God.

So, go ahead and create, build, write, teach, design, serve, solve problems, make beauty, and do your work with dedication. And then, take a day to rest. Because your creative work is a gift from God, but your true hope lies not in what you create, but in the Savior who has already finished His work for you.

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