Godly Plagiarism!

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.      

Colossians 3:16-17

If you become a powerful wordsmith and write for many others to read you must constantly be careful about plagiarism. Taking what someone else has written and using it like it was your own is unethical and dishonest.

If you want to become a writer, most mentors will encourage you to read the works of others, but there is a caution in doing so. If you become so enamored by the work of another author that you begin to write like him or her you must be careful that you don’t accidentally incorporate paragraphs from their creations into your own writing. Doing so could end your writing career!

When I was a full-time radio talk show host my mentor, Dick Casper advised me not to listen to other hosts. He warned that if I spent time listening to them I would pick up some of their ways and move away from the uniqueness of my own presentation. I followed his advice probably to my own decline in the business!

Here is a shocker! God wants His children to be plagiarists! Jesus wants you to use His words as if they were your very own. There is a big difference in quoting the Word of God and speaking the Word of God as if it were your own! When I read the writings of the Holy Spirit every day and listen to Him speak to my heart, then I will begin to say the things that He has said. I will not quote what Jesus has said about a situation; rather I will speak the things that Jesus has said to my current circumstance.

When the Word of Christ begins to flow out of your mouth as if it were your very own, then you will see the world around you respond as it did when Jesus Himself spoke those Words!