Yesterday in my Bible Journaling time I read Mark 6:3, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” (KJV) Jesus had gone to his home town to preach and teach, and they rejected His teaching. The Bible says they were “offended at him.” The main teaching from this is that those who knew Jesus didn’t believe He was the Son of God and they rejected His teaching and ridiculed Him. One version I have says they scoffed Him. However, there is another part of this Scripture that gets overlooked mostly because it isn’t the main focus of the verse. Jesus was a carpenter. That means in His working He was very detail oriented. He was a creator of things. As God, He also is the Creator of all things. The Bible tells us He was at the very beginning creating. (Genesis 1:1)
What jumped out at me was the fact that Jesus is very detailed in what He does. He created us, paying attention to get the little details just right. That means He knows us down to the very last atom. I began to think about how He knows every little detail of our lives, how we feel, what we’re going through, the joys, the pains, what our dreams and aspirations are, everything that makes us, us!
The thought crossed my mind that carpenters have to be exact in their measurements and in how they construct things. If they are just a fraction of an inch off, the whole project is out of alignment. Think of building a house. If the foundation isn’t level, everything built on that foundation will be off and the building will not be strong, and most likely fall into disrepair very quickly. I happen to live in a house just like that. Granted, it’s over 100 years old, and the original structure is solid. However, additions have been made to the house, and the person who did the remodeling did not pay attention to the details and we have walls that are not straight, wiring that is not standard, and plumbing that is just haphazardly put together. It is a miracle the house hasn’t burned down because of the wiring…thank goodness I have a husband who knows how to fix this stuff.
The point is, Jesus knows the details of your life. He loves you and He is concerned about everything involving you! The Bible says He knows the desires of your heart. He knows what you need, when you need it. You are treasured by Him, and He wants to be sure that everything about you is perfect, just as He created you. Do we sin and mess things up? Sure we do! Because we are not perfect, but sinners due to our own willfulness. However, God provided a way for us to come to Him, through Jesus, to be made whole, cleansed, and made new. Again, a new creation, His creation!
I have several friends who are dealing with medical issues. He knows all about that, and God is working in their lives to create wholeness and healing. Another creative miracle that He is accomplishing. Some are dealing with financial issues, and in His creative wisdom, He provides when they have no idea from where the money is going to come. There are others who are experiencing marital problems, and He is creatively putting those marriages back together.
Another thought that has occurred to me through a Bible study on one of the Bible Journaling websites I am on, is that Jesus created us to be in His own image. He is creative, and therefore, He made us to be creative also. I show my creativity mostly in my music. That’s where I am most comfortable, playing my flute and singing, giving worship and praise to Him for His boundless mercy, love, and grace! It is only recently that I have enjoyed being creative in artwork in my Bible Journaling. I’m not very good at it, but it helps me not only be creative, but since I’ve started Bible Journaling, I’ve spent more time in the Word, meditating on it, than any other avenue that I’ve tried. I have always struggled with having a steady quiet time with God. This is something that keeps my focus and it helps me to retain what I’ve read and thought about. The added bonus is that even though I am not an artist (I almost flunked art in school!) I am enjoying being artistic in my Bible Journaling. I find that drawing or creating artwork in my Bible helps me to retain it better, and I can always go back through my Journaling Bibles (yes, I have three of them) and review what God has been speaking to me about.
So, think about this, Jesus is a detailed Creator and He knows you intimately! He creates in your life daily. He also wants you to find your gift of creativity, whether it’s artwork or music or a hobby or a profession where you can create (like being a carpenter!). Whatever He has called you to do, explore your creative side and use it to glorify Him! And, be assured, He knows what you are going through also. His creativity is expressed in so many ways, all He wants is for you to trust Him!
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