Psalm 1:3b tells us,”...and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” The prosperity of the blessed Christian musician is found in the quality of the spiritual fruit he or she produces. Matthew 3:10, Luke 3:9, and Matthew 12: 33 all identify this spiritual fruit as being “good” fruit. As a matter fact, Matthew 12:33b explains that “...the tree is known by his fruit.” The trademark of the blessed Christian is quality fruit. Nothing is said in scripture about the quantity of fruit a Christian produces. So, we gather that God looks on the quality of the Christians ministry rather than how large his or her choir or orchestra is.
St. Matthew 12:35 explains that the blessed Christian produces quality fruit out of one’s heart life when he states, “A good man out of the good treasure (theasuros-2344) of the heart bringeth forth good things...” In verse 34b St. Matthew made it very clear that “...out of the abundance (perisseuma-4051) of the heart the mouth speaketh.” When one comes to an understanding of the Greek words in these verses it becomes clear that the blessed musician will bear good fruit out of the spiritual treasures that are stored up in his or her heart—i.e. the treasures that are stored up in such abundance that there is treasure enough “left over” to share with those to whom he or she ministers musically.
I have always told my choir and orchestra members who travelled to churches musicing to others that, “If you are going to feed others you have to eat.” The blessed Christian musician must have enough spiritual treasure stored in one’s heart in order to sustain spiritual life and have enough left over to feed” the hungry multitude”. Furthermore, I have always instructed those who were “under my hands” to “...taste and see that the LORD is good...” Many times in the past forty years I have quoted II Timothy 2:6 to my choir and orchestra members, “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.” My father, Merle Wolf, used to say, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” So, the blessed musician takes advantage of the ”means of grace” and is thereby fed spiritually and continually supplied with enough of God’s grace to bear good fruit for others.
St. Matthew 12:35 explains that the blessed Christian produces quality fruit out of one’s heart life when he states, “A good man out of the good treasure (theasuros-2344) of the heart bringeth forth good things...” In verse 34b St. Matthew made it very clear that “...out of the abundance (perisseuma-4051) of the heart the mouth speaketh.” When one comes to an understanding of the Greek words in these verses it becomes clear that the blessed musician will bear good fruit out of the spiritual treasures that are stored up in his or her heart—i.e. the treasures that are stored up in such abundance that there is treasure enough “left over” to share with those to whom he or she ministers musically.
I have always told my choir and orchestra members who travelled to churches musicing to others that, “If you are going to feed others you have to eat.” The blessed Christian musician must have enough spiritual treasure stored in one’s heart in order to sustain spiritual life and have enough left over to feed” the hungry multitude”. Furthermore, I have always instructed those who were “under my hands” to “...taste and see that the LORD is good...” Many times in the past forty years I have quoted II Timothy 2:6 to my choir and orchestra members, “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.” My father, Merle Wolf, used to say, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.” So, the blessed musician takes advantage of the ”means of grace” and is thereby fed spiritually and continually supplied with enough of God’s grace to bear good fruit for others.
No comments:
Post a Comment