Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves

Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves

Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”  Romans 12:2, “And be not Ps 144:9 ¶ I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. Ps 144:9 ¶ I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

            Christian musicians need to be very wise in this post postmodern world. As a matter of fact, Scripture admonishes Christians to be as wise as a snake.  I have found out that is very hard to fool a snake or to slip up on him.  You can try, but it probably will not work.  It is his wisdom that keeps him alive in the unfriendly world around him.  Although Christian musicians should not live a life of negativity, they must never forget that this world is not a friend of grace.

            I am so glad that the Holy Writ is always balanced.  This verse In Matthew teaches Christians that we can be as harmless as a dove and at the same time be wise as a snake when we make musical choices.  My dad used to say, “Believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear.”  I believe that this is good advice for Christian musicians.  Just because you observe some music practice, you should not take at as the right thing to do musically.  Furthermore, do not let the world squeeze you into its latest music praxis because some church musician says that it is the right thing to do to insure you of getting your “market share”.  Christian musicians should always exhibit a holy and harmless attitude, but they should, at the same time, watch their backs when taking musical advice.