Writers Gotta Write – Well

By Beth | March 15, 2019 |

 

Do all to the glory of God. 1Corinthians 10:31b

The glory of the Lord is evident throughout the scriptures; from His Shekinah glory in the tabernacle as God ushered the Israelites toward the Promised Land, to the glory of the Lord in the Resurrection of Christ and the glory given by the living creatures to “Him who sits on the throne” in Revelation 4:9.

Then, there is this instruction from Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 (at the top) that the glory of God is to be in all we do. He later points out the different gifts that the people of God are given in which we can glorify God. 1 Corinthians 12 talks about many gifts:

  • for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit
  • to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
  • to another faith by the same Spirit
  • to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit,
  • to another the working of miracles
  • to another prophecy
  • to another discerning of spirits
  • to another different kinds of tongues
  • to another the interpretation of tongues

Later in the chapter he adds,  “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:28 NKJV).

Paul is clear that there is only one Spirit who works all these things in the people of God. Without the Spirit of God our works for God would be worthless! Without all of these gifts the people of God would not be complete.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are all responsible before God with how we use the gifts given to us. If we are writers using our platforms to teach God’s Word, we will be held to the higher standard that God tells teachers He has for them (James 3:1).  This puts a big responsibility on writers to write well; to speak Truth (Ephesians 4:25) and teach sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).

In our day of rapid writing to keep up with the crowd, it is easy to become careless. We want that blog up today or we need to get something written by a deadline. With our eye on our goals we move along to get it done.

We skip the prayer before the writing or we remember the verse but fail to look for its context. Time is of the essence so we just write and push “publish” without a thorough going-over for sound doctrine (Titus 2:1).

Taking the time to stop and ask God what He wants us to say, doing the extra search to read the verse in context, or stopping to read (or ask someone else to) what we have written for grammar but also for what is being taught are important steps for Christian writers. We know what we mean but have we communicated it in such a way that others can understand it and God is glorified?

Writers, we gotta write, but above all that we do sits the Most High God for whom we must write well and for His glory. .

Posted in Regular Posts

16 Comments

  1. Melissa Henderson on March 15, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    Yes. Before writing, I like to pray and ask God to give me words He wants me to share. 🙂



  2. Beth on March 15, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    Thanks for reading and commenting, Melissa.



  3. Jessica Brodie on March 19, 2019 at 5:59 am

    Excellent post, Beth! Not only do I pray before I write, but lately, I’ve been learning to pray before and as I read God’s Word… for discernment and wisdom.



  4. Lisa Murray on March 19, 2019 at 6:52 am

    Amen! I always used to tell my son, “Do whatever is in front of you excellently, as if you were doing it for the Lord.” What a wise truth we all need to remember. Blessings, friend!



  5. Ava Pennington on March 19, 2019 at 7:40 am

    Yes, for His glory!



  6. Beth on March 19, 2019 at 9:03 am

    Thanks Lisa. You remind me that I can be putting this instruction in front of my “Grands.” It’s never too early!



  7. Beth on March 19, 2019 at 9:03 am

    In every area of life!



  8. Beth on March 19, 2019 at 9:06 am

    Thanks, Jessica. I am sure those are prayers the Lord will answer!



  9. Julie Loos on March 19, 2019 at 11:16 am

    Excellent advice!



  10. Beth on March 19, 2019 at 11:26 am

    Thanks, Julie!



  11. Yvonne Morgan on March 20, 2019 at 12:45 pm

    Thank you for the wonderful reminder. I usually take time the day before I blog to listen for the Lord’s prompting before I write. But it is important to make sure we write it to the best of our ability too.



  12. Beth on March 20, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    Thanks Yvonne, I’m glad it was a reminder for you. I pray we will always consider the privilege we have to write for HIM!



  13. Emily | To Unearth on March 21, 2019 at 9:35 am

    Definitely convicting! I try to pray before writing, but most days I honestly just forget. Thank you so much for this reminder! I don’t want to write something about God when I haven’t even sought His wisdom.



  14. Beth on March 21, 2019 at 10:10 am

    Glad it was helpful! I pray you will see His answers to your prayers.



  15. Ava on March 21, 2019 at 12:45 pm

    Thank you for you helpful and wise words.



  16. Beth on March 21, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    Always glad if they are helpful words!