Quote for the Day-The Voice of Singing

                                                         Quote for the day-Voice of singing 

“There is a difference between people who sing songs about Jesus and those who sing who know Jesus.” (Rev. Tim Keep)

With the Voice of Singing

                                                             With the Voice of Singing

       Isaiah 48:20 states, “Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with the voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, the LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob.”

       At this time Israel was in Babylon, they had transgressed God’s law.  God, in his tender mercy, was going to make it possible for them to leave Babylon.  God was going to “place his arm on the Chaldeans” to help Israel to escape.

       Have you ever found yourself in trouble and then realized that it was your own fault?  Musicians are famous for blaming everyone else for their problems.  However, I have lived long enough to learn that it isn’t what happens to us that really matters when we get in trouble in trouble.  No, it is how we react to what has happened to us that makes the difference.

       Notice that God said to Israel,”go”, “flee”, and “declare with the voice of singing”.  Today He is asking Christian musicians to declare “with the voice of singing” that “the Lord hath redeemed” us and will also deliver us from the “furnace of affliction (vs. 11).”

       It is important to note that the Scripture uses the terminology “with the voice of singing.”  Sometimes we can sing our way to victory when nothing seems to work.  If you are in the “fiery furnace” just now, try singing God’s praises!  I remember the Bloom sisters singing the song “It’s amazing what praising can do.”  That song has been a source of help to me many times when I have been troubled and so depressed that I felt like leaving my place of music ministry.  If you are depressed and feel that there is no way out of your trouble—try praising God with the “voice of singing”.

Thought for the day--weary Music Ministers

 

                                  Thought for the day—weary Music Ministers 

Be careful of people you idolize because may people who are considered to be “stars” become fallen “stars”.  So, keep your eyes on God who is the keeper of the stars.

Weary Music Ministers

 

                                                         Weary Music Ministers 

       Galatians 6:9 states, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”

       How can we keep going when we haven’t seemed to have accomplished the great task before us?  I do not believe that this verse is teaching that the Christian musician will never get tired.  I have seen some high energy musicians that seem to never get tired.  However, I am sure that they have to get weary emotionally and physically.  I believe that this Scripture is an admonition to the Christian musician to not quit when he or she is tired and faces burnout.

       I remember being so emotionally weary that one morning on our way to work I announced to my wife Sheila, “this is it—I quit.”  I remember her saying to me very calmly, “If you leave I will not go with you because you know that the Lord wants you to stay here.”  I thought that she was kind of joking, but I didn’t test her to see if she really meant it!

       The Bible lesson in this verse is that the Christian musician should not quit or he or she will miss the harvest.  Wouldn’t it be awful to work hard and the give up before the Lord sends the harvest?  I ministered 38 years full time as a Bible college music director.  If I had quit after only a few years, I would have missed a multitude of God’s richest blessings.

       Galatians 6:9 includes a little word with a big meaning.  This word is “if”.  The promise of spiritual harvest comes to those who refuse to quit.  None of us know when the “due season” will come.  So, hang on!  Be sure you get your soul fed because you can not keep going unless you have spiritual strength within your soul.

       Keep up your “well doing”.  Your musical ministry does not have to be large in order to please God.  It isn’t your success in the eyes of people that matters.  Rather, it is your faithfulness and “well doing” that matters to God.

Thought for the day- Cisterns

                                        Thought for the day-Cisterns

My Father would often say, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”  The same is true of a Christian musician.  The musician must partake of the means of grace if his or her musical ministry is going to be efficacious.

Musicians with Broken Cisterns

                                                           Musicians with Broken Cisterns

       Jeremiah 2:13 states, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living water, and have hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”

       God sent his prophet Jeremiah to plead with the nation of Israel who had begun to worship false gods.  After all that God had done for Israel, they had changed their worship to false gods.

       Notice that they had forsaken the fountain of living water.  They had gone after their own source of spiritual strength (broken cisterns).  Their worship had left them dry spiritually because these cisterns would not hold water.

       The ministering musician is constantly giving to others.  As I have told my ministering music groups for years, “You can’t feed others unless you eat.”  If you have some kind of broken cistern that has failed to sustain you spiritually, get out your ladder, broom and mop and clean out the inside of your cistern.

       If your cistern is not clean on the inside the plaster will not adhere to your spiritual cistern walls. All the junk in your life must be removed!  If you are going to store up the pure living water, you may have to “clean house” or the means of grace will not be efficacious.

       Remember, the children of Israel were incurable worshipers.  When they quit drinking the living water they started worshiping false gods.  Satan doesn’t care which “thing” we worship as long as it is something other than our loving Heavenly father.  He doesn’t even care if we worship religious music.

       The Bible lesson to be remembered is that we should make sure we are taking advantage of the fountain of living water.  God has enough of this water to sustain every ministering musician.  We also must be sure that we have not started worshiping music fads and trends or any genera of music but rather worship GOD with music that appropriately represents and honors Him.  Anything less is a broken cistern.

Thought for the day -waves

                                                                            Thought for the day-Waves

Perhaps Jesus lets us get in the midst of a storm so that we will know for sure that we need Him.  Since it is so easy to row our little ship when the sea is calm, we sometimes forget just how much we need Him.

Covered with Waves

                                                                       Covered with Waves  

       St. Matthew 8:24-25 states, “And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: and he was asleep.  And his disciples came unto him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.”

       As I wrote this blog post, I was sitting in my daughter Deanna’s living room looking out of a very large picture window at a very boisterous sea.  The white caps were crashing onto the rocks along the shore with great vengeance.  I can imagine how the disciples felt that day when they were at sea.  Perhaps when they entered the ship with     Jesus that day the sea was very placid.

       The day before the sea had been very beautiful and calm in Northern Ireland but this day it was a scary sight to behold.  Now I understood why the disciples were so terrified and why they were so intent on waking Jesus.  I know that I would have been the one waking Jesus if I had been in waves like the ones I was observing as I looked out at the sea in front of Mark and Deanna’s home.

       Jesus said to them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?”  I can’t say anything bad about his disciples because many times when the storms of life face me, I panic!  I guess when I cry to him He lovingly chuckles and says, “Don’t you know that I’m on board your little ship?”

       I know He is on board but I tend to be like Hid disciples.  I’m guilty of saying, “Master, carest not that we perish (Mark 4:38)?”  I know that he can control the waves on the sea of life but somehow I am sometimes doubtful that he will still them.

       I am greatly comforted by His words “Peace be still.”  When Jesus says these words there is always a great calm in my life.

Thought for the day--Tower

                                                 Thought for the day--Tower

Pick your tower very carefully and be sure that you are not hiding under the wrong one!

The musician's Tower

                                                                            The Musician’s Tower

       II Samuel 22:3 states, “The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior, thou savest me from violence.”  

       The first site that I wanted to in Paris was the Eifel Tower.  We arrived at the tower just before they turned on the tower lights at dusk.  The tower is beautiful all the time, but it is awesome at night when the lights outline the entire tower.  The tower looked big from a distance, but when stood directly under the tower it was very huge!

       I don’t know how many times I have read this scripture but it never stood out to me until I had seen the Eifel Tower.  Now I have a much clearer mental picture of God as my high tower.  He is bigger and stronger than the Eifel Tower.  He is the God who is above all false gods.  Now I understand that the false gods of the world are like those little key chains which have a small metal tower hooked to them with a chain.

       Everyone has a rock.  It may be a crumbling rock or a bunch of pebbles.  Let me remind you that my God is your Rock and strong tower.  Since He is so high and lifted up, strong and mighty, He towers above all your troubles.  He will be your refuge and Savior. The Christian musician’s tower is the rock Christ Jesus.  There is no other tower as strong as our God.  The Christian musician is anchored deeply on the strong rock and tower Christ Jesus.

       When we got to the Eifel Tower it was raining and the wind was blowing.  However when we got completely under the tower, we were sheltered from the cold night rain in Paris.  I did not want to leave the protection of this magnificent tower.  However, I had too because the others I was traveling with wanted to see more of the magnificent city or Paris.

       Praise God, we never have to leave the protection of our strong, high and mighty tower Christ Jesus our Lord.  I can not understand why any musician would willingly journey through this life with out the strength and protection of our tower which is Jesus our Lord.