I love to read, this is no great mystery. I am fortunate to have many genres from countless gifted authors constantly at my disposal. I can afford to be picky, choosing only those that resonate a longing to know what happens between the artistic and colorful front and back covers. If you would have told me many years ago that my passion to read would one day turn into a career that offered the luxury and availability of the best in the business, I wouldn't have believed it. Lucky? Blessed? Beyond my wildest imagination!
Which is why this morning's devotion caught my eye:
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. ~Revelation 5:4
I can't imagine a book being so holy, so pure, so consecrated that no man was found worthy to open, let alone read the book. I forget sometimes how ceremonial God is. He is precise. He is calculated. He is renowned. This book is so sacred to Him that only one-Jesus Christ himself-is deserving of the honor to touch, open, and read it.
As an editor, reader, reviewer, interviewer and lover of the written word, I realize words are profound and meaningful. As Christian authors and publishers, we need to constantly be reminded of our ministry as it applies to publications. Our motive should not be to merely entertain, neither should the prime objective be to move books and generate a bulging net figure.
If God has given you the gift of communication, never forget the enormous responsibility you owe your readers as a Christian author. You can be entertaining but your priority should begin and end with the desire to lead your readers to the Him. Forget trying to court a cross over audience or appeal to a certain market. If God has given you a vision for a book, write it and He will take care of the rest. Yes, I am simplistic and completely trust in His ability to manage the details. I believe that if He calls us to fulfill a certain ministry, He has already taken care of those details.
As much as I love reading novels, I appreciate the authors that work tirelessly to bring their characters to life and the publishers that utilize their team of experts to get those books to various outlets. I am in awe of the process and work diligently to assist in multiple capacities from editing manuscripts to the publicity of the finished product. Perhaps my devotion to this industry causes me to be passionate about what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. Let us always keep in mind that our work should mirror God himself: calculated, precise, ceremonial. Our challenge should be to truly represent who He is in everything we do, especially the work of our hands. Make every word count, every character's struggle worthy of black ink, and the outcome a testimony to the power of God.
