Artists have to create. It’s in their nature. Music, dance, or mixed media, they will produce work that will shine with their skill and enthusiasm.
One other thing: Artists need to eat, also. That said, artists have to sell their work or relegate their drive to the back burner, make it a hobby, so to speak.
St. Augustine, Florida, felt differently. In 2009, the city banned the creation of art and the selling of that art from a section of the downtown area.
It became a starvation edict. This was tourist country. Four artists fought back with a lawsuit against the city, claiming their right to create art, sell that art, and therefore eat. How could they provide for their livelihood if they couldn’t hawk their wares among the people who would be most interested in purchasing them?
Isaiah 5:23 says:
“[Woe to those] who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!”
In 2016 U.S. District Judge Brian Davis decided the artists had been deprived of their right to a livelihood. He ruled that the city could not prevent the four artists from selling their art until the case was finally settled.
God owns the gavel that guarantees us the right to hawk salvation. We have the ruling that Christ died on the cross for our sins, and we can invite everyone we meet to join us on our journey to heaven. The case will be settled once and for all at the End of Days, and until that time, the devil has no authority to tell us what we can and cannot do for Jesus.
Romans 12:19 is the slamming of God’s gavel on the depravities of the devil and his minions upon the earth:
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ ”
If the four St. Augustine artists had yelled insults, torched city hall, and generally vented their anger at the city, Judge Davis might have been less lenient about supporting their lawsuit. The right to judgment falls to the one holding the gavel. Only he can make the final call.
As Christians, the world will battle against us. Let’s dust ourselves off and move on. God pleads our case for us. He will swing the gavel soon enough. Our job is to create an inviting environment for the world to come to salvation through Christ our Lord.
Let’s let God take care of the hard stuff so we can spend our time showing love to our fellow man.
Copyright © 2016 MyChurchNotes.net
Originally Published 11-15-16 in Relationships