What’s the Place of Money and Fame?

This is the fifth of 7 blogs on releasing your creative potential.

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,

   give careful attention to your herds;

for riches do not endure forever,

   and a crown is not secure for all generations.

When the hay is removed and new growth appears

   and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

the lambs will provide you with clothing,

   and the goats with the price of a field.

You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family

   and to nourish your female servants.

Proverbs 27:23-27 

We are to give attention to whatever God has given us. For the christian artist this means having an intimate knowledge of our gifts and talents. This might seem like an obvious first step, but due to the effects of sin in our life, it can be difficult to connect with who we really are.

The fun begins once we have an understanding of our talents and gifts, because this is where stewardship starts. Stewardship is simply taking care of what someone has given us. We have a choice as to how well we steward.

The psalmist calls us to give “careful attention” to what has been entrusted to us. Our focus is to be good stewards of what’s given us, not the pursuit of riches in and of themselves. Seeking riches (or fame) as our primary goal is an incredibly easy trap to fall into.

Riches and fame are possible byproducts of good stewardship, not the other way around. In addition, any fame or riches are themselves to be stewarded over, meaning that it’s quite okay to have an increase of either of these in the context of stewardship.

Riches in themselves don’t last forever, as evidenced by the only time the psalmist uses negatives in these verses (riches do not endure…,” “a crown is not secure…”) It doesn’t mean riches are inherently bad or behind all evil. The issue is when our hearts are held captive to a created thing, in this case riches. The often misquoted verse is, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. “ (1 Timothy 6:10)  

How do we give careful attention to what we have? By nourishing and feeding that which we are stewarding over. We take care of all the things we’ve been given, including our talents, gifts. Anything. Everything.

The result of this care is the provision of what we need. That may or may not be an abundance of provision, but our response should always be the same: a deep sense of gratitude for what the Lord has provided, and a renewed commitment to the profound joy of stewarding over any increase he gives us.

In other words, the goal, the pleasure, the deepest fulfillment comes from aiming for good stewardship.

So, artist, take care of your field, and nurture what God has given you.

Here’s a question you can use for self-coaching. Share your thoughts in the comments section or contact me directly.

• How will you nurture and care for what God has given you?