Resolve to Survive the Famine
But the Lord watches over those who fear Him, those who rely on His unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You alone. (Psalm 33:18-22 NLT)
Reverence God – Worship Him in spirit and in truth. Love Him with all you have and are. Thank and praise Him for all of His goodness towards you and His great plans for your life, which includes salvation unto eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Give Him first place in your heart and mind, and let your mouth be filled with His praises as you make an effort not to complain. Pray to Him for wisdom, guidance, strength, and relief for others as well as yourself. Trust in Him at all times and lead others to do the same. Learn His word and hide it in your heart that you might not sin against Him. Be filled constantly with His Holy Spirit and yield to His leading. Lift up the name of Jesus; trumpet His redemptive work. Seek your place in the body of Christ and serve the Lord faithfully.
Educate to Eradicate Waste – Learn to do well. Learn so you can do better, making the most of what you have. Develop new skills that will enhance your life. Learn to make fewer but more meaningful trips using that more expensive gas. Learn to turn your leftovers into new meals whenever possible. Learn to resist impulse buying of stuff you don’t really need and are not going to use. Waste not, want not. Learn to use portion control by learning and exercising self-control. Learn to cut back on nonessential habits or hobbies, which drain your precious and more limited resources. Learn to yield not to temptation from peer pressure, if you don’t have it to spend, you will not spend what you need for something more important, and you are to learn not to feel bad about it. Learn to budget and stick to it. Take advantage of courses or seminars in your community that can help you do more in life and get more out of life.
Sow into Others – Look for people who need help and help them as God makes opportunity and gives resources. A listening ear can go a long way. You may be short on money to give, but can lend a hand to an elderly person or other people in distress. Sound advice and/or encouraging words many times are found to be more helpful than a fistful of dollars. Join with others and really show the unity in community. Carpool to work or to the grocery store. Some families band together to eat-as in sharing materials for meals, cooking, and cleaning duties amongst themselves. Shared gardening can bring people closer together and cut costs by laboring together to produce food to be shared, sold for profit, and/or given as aid to the less fortunate. Businesses and other community entities can collaborate on some joint ventures for greater efficiency and effectiveness. To keep down confusion, discussions should be held upfront regarding expectations and limitations amongst all parties.
Observe the Signs – Tough times increase stress in our loved ones and in us. Stress leads to poor decision making and can lead to unhealthy habits which can be hard to overcome. Poor decision-making can make for increased stress. Increased stress seeks an outlet and sometimes we hold it in to the hurt of our emotional or physical health and/or sometimes we let it out in a way that hurts others who in turn hurt us. Keep yourself as best you can. Have a trusted love one or friend to confide in. Keep yourself physically by eating as healthy as you can, getting some physical exercise, and making time to rest. Have a lot of talks with Jesus, He can heal, help, and give you hope.
Love is the Essential – Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever. Serve one another in love. Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments against adultery and murder and stealing and coveting—and any other commandment—are all summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements. Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 1 Cor 13:4-8; Gal 5:13; Rom 13:8-10; Rom 12:9-10 (NLT)
Value Life – Appreciate yourself and others as the very blessed creation of God-made in His image and likeness. Be glad about the blessings that you have received from God-your life, family, and possessions-however little or much they may be- be grateful. Acknowledge the good in others and seek their wellbeing, for if you do, God will bless you accordingly. Remember that God, who is divine, exalted, flawless, and glorious without end, invested Himself in you. You may not think much of yourself, and you should have a humble estimation of who you are and what you can do, but God thought about you and so He formed you and brought you forth from your mother’s womb. In His eyes, you are somebody, treasure that!!!
Enjoy the Moment – Enjoy your time in this life for however sweet your times may be. There is a bright side to every dark situation, if we choose to believe it. No matter what happens believers have faith, that God is working things out for their good. Some situations we live through, certainly don’t feel good to us, but somewhere in it, there is good for us. A songwriter said it best, “We’ll understand it better by and by.” Decide to rejoice in each day no matter what you have going on just as the Psalmist did, when He said, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Look ever to Jesus, Love deeply, Live well, and Laugh, when the moment is right.
With the love of Christ towards you,
Larry D. Reed, Sr.
Servant of the Lasting, Living, Loving God
I Owe Jesus
6/23/08
Monday, June 23, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Into the Abyss
Into the Abyss
It is sad to behold our steady spiral into the abyss
To witness humanity in wretchedness, wandering amiss
Each day is becoming as dark as the night
We grope in the daytime, dimmed eyes, distorted sight
Many savor the darkness, supposing it is new light
Evil is the new good and wrong, the new-found right
Addiction to self is sullying what we could be
Anarchy, apathy are advancing, annihilating our would-be
Our broken compass is ever ushering us down
To the depths of delusion, despair, wherein men drown
We waywardly worship status and stuff, to our own hurt
To seize more we step on principle and people like dirt
Truth, to most, is only relative, not in anyway absolute
What is right in one’s own eyes is the unsound substitute
Shamefully, in this, the visible church has become complicit
Dramatized diluted oratory of men’s ideas is what crowds solicit
People who hold sincerely to God’s truth, we publicly demonize
While those who perilously preach for profit, we openly, idolize
The true called out community, at times, is hard to discern
The Christ-like way of life is no longer of utmost concern
We are glad, just to get our orchestrated worship and praise on
Folks falter within feet of the church doorstep, while we carry-on
We faintheartedly fear fleshly men, making them our god
We have lost the fear of our Maker, our Master-Almighty God
Father, we are weighed down by sin, headed in the wrong direction
Forgive and renew us that we may exalt You with holy affection
Thank You for Your Son sent to save us, dying, taking our place
Jesus, despite the troubling times, I am grateful that those who trust in
You shall be upheld, ascend to You, thanks to Your amazing grace
But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But those who endure to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come. (Matthew 24:8-14 NLT)
RevLDReed
I Owe Jesus
6/19/08
It is sad to behold our steady spiral into the abyss
To witness humanity in wretchedness, wandering amiss
Each day is becoming as dark as the night
We grope in the daytime, dimmed eyes, distorted sight
Many savor the darkness, supposing it is new light
Evil is the new good and wrong, the new-found right
Addiction to self is sullying what we could be
Anarchy, apathy are advancing, annihilating our would-be
Our broken compass is ever ushering us down
To the depths of delusion, despair, wherein men drown
We waywardly worship status and stuff, to our own hurt
To seize more we step on principle and people like dirt
Truth, to most, is only relative, not in anyway absolute
What is right in one’s own eyes is the unsound substitute
Shamefully, in this, the visible church has become complicit
Dramatized diluted oratory of men’s ideas is what crowds solicit
People who hold sincerely to God’s truth, we publicly demonize
While those who perilously preach for profit, we openly, idolize
The true called out community, at times, is hard to discern
The Christ-like way of life is no longer of utmost concern
We are glad, just to get our orchestrated worship and praise on
Folks falter within feet of the church doorstep, while we carry-on
We faintheartedly fear fleshly men, making them our god
We have lost the fear of our Maker, our Master-Almighty God
Father, we are weighed down by sin, headed in the wrong direction
Forgive and renew us that we may exalt You with holy affection
Thank You for Your Son sent to save us, dying, taking our place
Jesus, despite the troubling times, I am grateful that those who trust in
You shall be upheld, ascend to You, thanks to Your amazing grace
But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But those who endure to the end will be saved. And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come. (Matthew 24:8-14 NLT)
RevLDReed
I Owe Jesus
6/19/08
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Sanctified Soul Music
Sanctified Soul Music
To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3:19c
Just another day that my Lord, has kept me. Just another day that I've been in my Savior’s care.
With these words, it is my sincere belief that the prophet Habakkuk showed that music can spring forth from anyone’s life. These are the last words in a chapter that started as a prayer and ended in praise. Then, He seemingly, with the last statement, knew that a person’s spoken words put in the musically gifted ears, hands, and heart of the right individual could be put to music.
Your life, too, has great musical potential, for we all have a wealth of experiences from our lives to draw from. The experiences of life give birth to music.
You here today may have a meaningful message in song within you that could possibly sell a million cd’s based merely on the things that you have witnessed and lived through. To you, it may not have rhyme or rhythm, but you need to know that it has reason and the reason is contained in the lyrics and your lyrics are derived directly from your living testimony.
People have found that their personal ‘strugglin’ and ‘strainin’ can squeeze a song or two from the storehouse of their soul’s experiences. Trials and tribulations can trigger one to exhale a gospel track from the deep treasures of one’s inner sanctum-the very core of a person’s being.
There was a Christian man who was away from home and his pregnant wife, who received a telegram that was very urgent. The telegram contained a simple message, “your wife just died.” She died but gave birth to a newborn son. When the man made it home to be with his baby boy and grieve for his wife, the child also died the night that he returned. The man buried his wife and son in the same coffin. He then isolated himself within his apartment. He felt that God had been unfair to him. A friend came by to visit on the following Saturday and encouraged him to get out. He led him to a local music school and left him alone in a room with a piano. As he sat at the piano perusing the keys, soul peace came unto him and the Lord began to download a musical masterpiece from on high into his spirit and as he tickled the piano keys these words flowed up and out:
Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.
That man was Thomas Dorsey, considered a father of modern gospel music. This song has touched the souls of millions around the world. It came from within one believing man’s grief-stricken soul, who felt God had done him wrong but he found out that the Lord is close to those who are brokenhearted and able to lead them through the deepest grief of their darkest night in their lowest valley of their life. Mr. Dorsey also wrote the “Lord Will Make A Way Somehow.” These songs are sanctified soul music.
If you have ever been down in the valley weighed down with a truckload of troubles and trials, but the Lord was there with you and He brought you through and He brought you out then you got a recipe to make some sweet sanctified soul music that can satisfy some spiritually hungry ears of those with hurting hearts, and burdened spirits. The redeemed of the Lord have something to say and they can say it in song.
When our ancestors endured their soul’s long and dark night, shedding countless tears from the tragedy of their captivities’ hundreds of years, they were perked up within their plight when they tuned lyrics from the rich treasury built up by the blows that were meant to beat them down.
They knew they were poor pilgrims of sorrow and felt tossed in this world alone. But, they heard of a city called Heaven and they started to make it home. Sometimes they would feel discouraged and feel their work was in vain, but then the Holy Spirit would revive their soul once again. Then, they would sing sanctified soul music in hope even in the midst of hopeless circumstances.
We 'll soon be free,
We 'll soon be free,
We 'll soon be free,
When de Lord will call us home.
My brudder, how long,
My brudder, how long,
My brudder, how long,
'Fore we done sufferin' here?
It won't be long (Thrice.)
'Fore de Lord will call us home.
We 'll walk de miry road (Thrice.)
Where pleasure never dies.
We 'll walk de golden street (Thrice.)
Where pleasure never dies.
My brudder, how long (Thrice.)
'Fore we done sufferin' here?
We 'll soon be free (Thrice.)
When Jesus sets me free.
We 'll fight for liberty (Thrice.)
When de Lord will call us home.
Sanctified soul music comes not just from our trouble, but also from our triumphs; not just from our pain but also bursts forth from pure praise from the joy of experiencing God’s saving grace.
Moses, the man of God exploded with sanctified soul music manifested in joyful praise in seeing the salvation of the Lord for “the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” But, their enemies perished in the sea.
Exodus chapter 15 records a song that Moses and the children of Israel sang from the joy that bubbled up from within them. Hearken to a portion of their praise, “saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.”
We live in an era of gospel music that prides itself on manufacturing praise and worship songs. King David ought to get some credit for being a praise and worship pioneer.
There may not ever be any sanctified soul singer such as the man whom God, Himself, declared to be a man after His own heart. Since he came before us and we are able to witness to the evidence for the book of Psalms is a book composed of prophetic praise and worship songs, and many were birthed directly out of David’s personal tragedies, triumphs, and tenacious tendency to transmit glory to God.
David wrote from his lows of being on the run from Saul and falling into personal sin to the highs of being crowned king and just totally adoring the good God of creation and the source of all joy and blessings. Solomon, David’s son, had his own lyrics published too.
Dr Isaac Watts, who wrote “Joy to the World”, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross”, “Come We That Love the Lord”, “We’re Marching to Zion” and “When I Can Read My Title Clear” is attributed with the statement, “Ministers are to cultivate gifts of preaching and prayer through study and diligence; they ought also to cultivate the capacity of composing spiritual songs and exercise it along with the other parts of the worship, preaching and prayer”
There are still modern day melody makers who are skillful in the art of making sanctified soul music. Churches are writing and composing not only lyrics for their choirs and their drama departments but the musical arrangements to go with them. Isn’t the Lord all right.
Let us not hold so closely to the old standards that we overlook and too quickly condemn a modern standard for a new generation that is certified and sanctified from the Lord on high. What God has cleansed, that call thou not common or unclean.
All that is necessary for sanctified soul music is that the words of our mouth, and the meditation of our heart, be acceptable in God’s sight. With these in order, you and your church choir can make some sanctified soul music.
The Psalmist of Psalms 104:33-34 proclaims, “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.”
Allow me to be a little lyrically inclined:
I’ve been up
And I’ve been down
But I never turned around
The Lord’s been good to me
I’ve been in
And I’ve been out
And I still got a reason to shout
The Lord’s been good to me
They’ve scandalized my name
But I’m going on in Jesus Name
Because He’s been good to me
Amen – So Be It
Larry D. Reed, Sr.
I Owe Jesus
Submitted this day Wednesday, May 28, 2008
To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3:19c
Just another day that my Lord, has kept me. Just another day that I've been in my Savior’s care.
With these words, it is my sincere belief that the prophet Habakkuk showed that music can spring forth from anyone’s life. These are the last words in a chapter that started as a prayer and ended in praise. Then, He seemingly, with the last statement, knew that a person’s spoken words put in the musically gifted ears, hands, and heart of the right individual could be put to music.
Your life, too, has great musical potential, for we all have a wealth of experiences from our lives to draw from. The experiences of life give birth to music.
You here today may have a meaningful message in song within you that could possibly sell a million cd’s based merely on the things that you have witnessed and lived through. To you, it may not have rhyme or rhythm, but you need to know that it has reason and the reason is contained in the lyrics and your lyrics are derived directly from your living testimony.
People have found that their personal ‘strugglin’ and ‘strainin’ can squeeze a song or two from the storehouse of their soul’s experiences. Trials and tribulations can trigger one to exhale a gospel track from the deep treasures of one’s inner sanctum-the very core of a person’s being.
There was a Christian man who was away from home and his pregnant wife, who received a telegram that was very urgent. The telegram contained a simple message, “your wife just died.” She died but gave birth to a newborn son. When the man made it home to be with his baby boy and grieve for his wife, the child also died the night that he returned. The man buried his wife and son in the same coffin. He then isolated himself within his apartment. He felt that God had been unfair to him. A friend came by to visit on the following Saturday and encouraged him to get out. He led him to a local music school and left him alone in a room with a piano. As he sat at the piano perusing the keys, soul peace came unto him and the Lord began to download a musical masterpiece from on high into his spirit and as he tickled the piano keys these words flowed up and out:
Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.
That man was Thomas Dorsey, considered a father of modern gospel music. This song has touched the souls of millions around the world. It came from within one believing man’s grief-stricken soul, who felt God had done him wrong but he found out that the Lord is close to those who are brokenhearted and able to lead them through the deepest grief of their darkest night in their lowest valley of their life. Mr. Dorsey also wrote the “Lord Will Make A Way Somehow.” These songs are sanctified soul music.
If you have ever been down in the valley weighed down with a truckload of troubles and trials, but the Lord was there with you and He brought you through and He brought you out then you got a recipe to make some sweet sanctified soul music that can satisfy some spiritually hungry ears of those with hurting hearts, and burdened spirits. The redeemed of the Lord have something to say and they can say it in song.
When our ancestors endured their soul’s long and dark night, shedding countless tears from the tragedy of their captivities’ hundreds of years, they were perked up within their plight when they tuned lyrics from the rich treasury built up by the blows that were meant to beat them down.
They knew they were poor pilgrims of sorrow and felt tossed in this world alone. But, they heard of a city called Heaven and they started to make it home. Sometimes they would feel discouraged and feel their work was in vain, but then the Holy Spirit would revive their soul once again. Then, they would sing sanctified soul music in hope even in the midst of hopeless circumstances.
We 'll soon be free,
We 'll soon be free,
We 'll soon be free,
When de Lord will call us home.
My brudder, how long,
My brudder, how long,
My brudder, how long,
'Fore we done sufferin' here?
It won't be long (Thrice.)
'Fore de Lord will call us home.
We 'll walk de miry road (Thrice.)
Where pleasure never dies.
We 'll walk de golden street (Thrice.)
Where pleasure never dies.
My brudder, how long (Thrice.)
'Fore we done sufferin' here?
We 'll soon be free (Thrice.)
When Jesus sets me free.
We 'll fight for liberty (Thrice.)
When de Lord will call us home.
Sanctified soul music comes not just from our trouble, but also from our triumphs; not just from our pain but also bursts forth from pure praise from the joy of experiencing God’s saving grace.
Moses, the man of God exploded with sanctified soul music manifested in joyful praise in seeing the salvation of the Lord for “the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.” But, their enemies perished in the sea.
Exodus chapter 15 records a song that Moses and the children of Israel sang from the joy that bubbled up from within them. Hearken to a portion of their praise, “saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.”
We live in an era of gospel music that prides itself on manufacturing praise and worship songs. King David ought to get some credit for being a praise and worship pioneer.
There may not ever be any sanctified soul singer such as the man whom God, Himself, declared to be a man after His own heart. Since he came before us and we are able to witness to the evidence for the book of Psalms is a book composed of prophetic praise and worship songs, and many were birthed directly out of David’s personal tragedies, triumphs, and tenacious tendency to transmit glory to God.
David wrote from his lows of being on the run from Saul and falling into personal sin to the highs of being crowned king and just totally adoring the good God of creation and the source of all joy and blessings. Solomon, David’s son, had his own lyrics published too.
Dr Isaac Watts, who wrote “Joy to the World”, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross”, “Come We That Love the Lord”, “We’re Marching to Zion” and “When I Can Read My Title Clear” is attributed with the statement, “Ministers are to cultivate gifts of preaching and prayer through study and diligence; they ought also to cultivate the capacity of composing spiritual songs and exercise it along with the other parts of the worship, preaching and prayer”
There are still modern day melody makers who are skillful in the art of making sanctified soul music. Churches are writing and composing not only lyrics for their choirs and their drama departments but the musical arrangements to go with them. Isn’t the Lord all right.
Let us not hold so closely to the old standards that we overlook and too quickly condemn a modern standard for a new generation that is certified and sanctified from the Lord on high. What God has cleansed, that call thou not common or unclean.
All that is necessary for sanctified soul music is that the words of our mouth, and the meditation of our heart, be acceptable in God’s sight. With these in order, you and your church choir can make some sanctified soul music.
The Psalmist of Psalms 104:33-34 proclaims, “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.”
Allow me to be a little lyrically inclined:
I’ve been up
And I’ve been down
But I never turned around
The Lord’s been good to me
I’ve been in
And I’ve been out
And I still got a reason to shout
The Lord’s been good to me
They’ve scandalized my name
But I’m going on in Jesus Name
Because He’s been good to me
Amen – So Be It
Larry D. Reed, Sr.
I Owe Jesus
Submitted this day Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Music to God’s Ears
Music to God’s Ears
What music is on your playlist on your audio system, computer, mp3 player, or satellite channel? Who is your favorite singer? What is your favorite song? What is your favorite type of music? When you feel somewhat blue, do you catch yourself moaning the blues? When you feel a bit rowdy, do you take occasion to rap a rhyme in poetic tune complete with your own voice beat?
People like all kinds of music. Some, humans have trained animals to sway to musical rhythm.
Music arouses something within us, drawing our attention with its aural sounds and/or its expressive instrumental or verbal content or message. Music more often than not, elicits a verbal, physical, or emotional response.
Since, as people, we are all different, it follows that different people like different kinds of music. What is considered good music to one may be thought of as confused noise to another. Some music grows on us quickly, while other music may gradually take hold of our mind and mouth to the point where unexpectedly we find ourselves humming a tune or jingle that we have heard sometimes years before.
We like music that is pleasing to our ear. We enjoy music that is pleasant to our sensibilities, satisfying to our familiarities, correlating to our personal experiences or desires, or reassuring to our hearts and minds, aligning with our understanding or views about life and the world we live in. Music, also, has occasion to utterly surprise us by giving voice to an idea or thought within us that we, ourselves, never found the words to truly express.
Music is categorized by genre, which speaks to the fact that it is set apart by distinguishing features. Some distinguishing features are time periods-such as the fifties, seventies, or eighties, place of origin-such as African or European, cultural context-like East Coast or West Coast, or style such as Country and Western, Urban/Hip Hop/Rap, Rock, Rhythm and Blues, Easy Listening, Folk, Classical, Christian, Southern Gospel, Contemporary Gospel, etc.
It seems there is music to mark every inflection and/or inclination of man.
The world of religion with its numerous faiths, alliances or denominations; national, regional, or local cultural differences of doctrine, practices, and worship styles of similar and dissimilar groups; and varied evangelistic attempts using promotional diversions to draw in new members has a multiplicity of tastes in music stemming from assorted motivations of the people of the various ideologies.
However, we must be honest with ourselves or face the music come judgment day. Our God is holy and He is not moved by just any beat or lyric, coming in just any form, coming from just any source, or coming from just anybody. And, neither should we be led away by Satanic Pied Pipers whose intent is to lead us to wicked worship and impure idolatrous praise.
We here today, are supposed to be burgeoning to a shared beat. We are the church founded by Jesus Christ. Christ is Christianity’s spiritual, and even musical, heartbeat. No Christ, with no death, burial, and resurrection means, no promise of eternal life, no promise of Holy Spirit power for sealing and sanctification now into eternity, and no hope in a sin sick and decaying world. If Christ did not live, die and rise again, then our faith is vain and we are of all men most miserable.
But, Jesus is real, historically verifiable, and His goes back to beginning extends into everlasting. Christians are not the only ones who verify His existence. The Koran of the Muslims contains verses in small detail of His coming and going. The Jews do not refute that He lived, and many Jewish scholars see Jesus as the complete Jew of Jews who lived a life worthy of emulation. Some Jews have come to Jesus, but most reject Him as their Messiah.
But, we, as Christians-God’s very own consecrated children, have our own record that He is alive and well. We believe that the bible is right and somebody is wrong. We have inspiration to make music because of our record, which is the Holy Scriptures, the God breathed love letter to humanity.
The Holy Scriptures declare, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The Holy Scriptures details things He has done, is doing, and will do, yet.
The Holy Scriptures designate man and God’s special affection towards him as God’s greatest creation on this side of heaven. The Holy Scriptures detail man’s creation and fall into a sinful state leading to his separation from his Creator and Sustainer. The Holy Scriptures indicate God’s plan for man’s redemption from sin because of His great love and not man’s merit. The Holy Scriptures declare that to redeem man the Son of God-Jesus, fully God and fully man, took our place on the cross, as an atoning sacrifice, the propitiation for our sins.
He hung, bled, died, and was raised from the dead on the third day and given all authority in heaven and earth. He built His Church upon this truth. Since the Gospel came into the world men have been pressing their way into the kingdom of God through the open door of the church, Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church and the church, His body.
When one sinner repents, the Heavenly host strikes up a joyful tune and surely, it is one of our Heavenly Father’s favorite pieces of music. The angels and the informed saints on earth make music to God’s ears, celebrating how another brother or sister who once was lost but now is found has made it over and gotten the victory made possible by the work of the Lamb of God.
Since, Jesus our Savior, was proclaimed in advance of His coming by prophetic word; since He was proven to be the Christ by His divine appearance and redemptive work as foretold through prophecy; and since He has been preached in the world up to this very day that we should come to know Him as Savior and Lord, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children should sing music that is derived directly from biblical truth with theological soundness. Our very faith is founded on believing that the bible is the tried and true inspired word of God, inerrant in content because its Author is infallible, incomparable as an instructional guide for righteous living, and the inescapable measure by which all men shall be judged. We are all out here on His word. ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word; Just to rest upon His promise, And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Since the church is called to be holy as God is holy, then, we, the church-God’s consecrated children-should play music that directs us into reverent worship of God. The Scriptures pronounce that God seeks worship from us that is “in spirit and in truth.” Worship that is in spirit and in truth is evident in a lifestyle of personal inner and outer uprightness as detailed in the Holy Scriptures and determined by the leading of the Holy Spirit who aligns our motivations, thoughts, and actions with the Holy Scriptures to the glory of God. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee…
Since, Jesus has been exalted and given a name above every name, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children, should listen to music that provokes us to lift Him up in joyful praise, promoting His glory and majesty, and publicizing His many marvelous miracles wrought by His omnipotence in accord with His omniscience, and omnipresence. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world Is become the Kingdom of our Lord And of His Christ, And He shall reign for ever and ever… Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? His name is Jesus.
Since, Jesus is our great ministering High Priest and suffering servant Savior, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children should sing, play, and listen to music that ministers to the spirit of the saints encouraging them to continue on smoothing up the rough side of the mountain knowing that they have Blessed Assurance and recognizing that serving the Lord will pay off after while. We, the church, should sing, play, and listen to music that calls out to the unsaved beckoning them to Come to Jesus by faith in His word, challenging them to try Jesus for He’s alright. Letting them know that somebody's knocking at their door. Oh, sinner why don’t you answer? Somebody's knocking at your door. It knocks like Jesus at your door. When are you going to let Him in?
If we, living truly as God’s consecrated children, should write, arrange, sing, play, and listen to such music as described above then we will be as a magnificent melody to the Master Composer of all of life’s harmonies. Music composed of biblically derived content with theological soundness from biblically driven motives guided by the Spirit to minister biblically directed praises to our Maker, help and hope to the masses melded together now and later, simply based on the merit and might of the word of God and in particular the good news of Jesus Christ shall surely be music to our Heavenly Father’s ears.
Let the godly sing with joy to the Lord, for it is fitting to praise Him. Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for Him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing new songs of praise to Him; play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy. For the word of the Lord holds true, and everything He does is worthy of our trust. He loves whatever is just and good, and His unfailing love fills the earth. Psalm 33:1-5 New Living Translation
Amen – So Be It
Larry D. Reed, Sr.
I Owe Jesus
Submitted this day Tuesday, May 27, 2008
What music is on your playlist on your audio system, computer, mp3 player, or satellite channel? Who is your favorite singer? What is your favorite song? What is your favorite type of music? When you feel somewhat blue, do you catch yourself moaning the blues? When you feel a bit rowdy, do you take occasion to rap a rhyme in poetic tune complete with your own voice beat?
People like all kinds of music. Some, humans have trained animals to sway to musical rhythm.
Music arouses something within us, drawing our attention with its aural sounds and/or its expressive instrumental or verbal content or message. Music more often than not, elicits a verbal, physical, or emotional response.
Since, as people, we are all different, it follows that different people like different kinds of music. What is considered good music to one may be thought of as confused noise to another. Some music grows on us quickly, while other music may gradually take hold of our mind and mouth to the point where unexpectedly we find ourselves humming a tune or jingle that we have heard sometimes years before.
We like music that is pleasing to our ear. We enjoy music that is pleasant to our sensibilities, satisfying to our familiarities, correlating to our personal experiences or desires, or reassuring to our hearts and minds, aligning with our understanding or views about life and the world we live in. Music, also, has occasion to utterly surprise us by giving voice to an idea or thought within us that we, ourselves, never found the words to truly express.
Music is categorized by genre, which speaks to the fact that it is set apart by distinguishing features. Some distinguishing features are time periods-such as the fifties, seventies, or eighties, place of origin-such as African or European, cultural context-like East Coast or West Coast, or style such as Country and Western, Urban/Hip Hop/Rap, Rock, Rhythm and Blues, Easy Listening, Folk, Classical, Christian, Southern Gospel, Contemporary Gospel, etc.
It seems there is music to mark every inflection and/or inclination of man.
The world of religion with its numerous faiths, alliances or denominations; national, regional, or local cultural differences of doctrine, practices, and worship styles of similar and dissimilar groups; and varied evangelistic attempts using promotional diversions to draw in new members has a multiplicity of tastes in music stemming from assorted motivations of the people of the various ideologies.
However, we must be honest with ourselves or face the music come judgment day. Our God is holy and He is not moved by just any beat or lyric, coming in just any form, coming from just any source, or coming from just anybody. And, neither should we be led away by Satanic Pied Pipers whose intent is to lead us to wicked worship and impure idolatrous praise.
We here today, are supposed to be burgeoning to a shared beat. We are the church founded by Jesus Christ. Christ is Christianity’s spiritual, and even musical, heartbeat. No Christ, with no death, burial, and resurrection means, no promise of eternal life, no promise of Holy Spirit power for sealing and sanctification now into eternity, and no hope in a sin sick and decaying world. If Christ did not live, die and rise again, then our faith is vain and we are of all men most miserable.
But, Jesus is real, historically verifiable, and His goes back to beginning extends into everlasting. Christians are not the only ones who verify His existence. The Koran of the Muslims contains verses in small detail of His coming and going. The Jews do not refute that He lived, and many Jewish scholars see Jesus as the complete Jew of Jews who lived a life worthy of emulation. Some Jews have come to Jesus, but most reject Him as their Messiah.
But, we, as Christians-God’s very own consecrated children, have our own record that He is alive and well. We believe that the bible is right and somebody is wrong. We have inspiration to make music because of our record, which is the Holy Scriptures, the God breathed love letter to humanity.
The Holy Scriptures declare, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The Holy Scriptures details things He has done, is doing, and will do, yet.
The Holy Scriptures designate man and God’s special affection towards him as God’s greatest creation on this side of heaven. The Holy Scriptures detail man’s creation and fall into a sinful state leading to his separation from his Creator and Sustainer. The Holy Scriptures indicate God’s plan for man’s redemption from sin because of His great love and not man’s merit. The Holy Scriptures declare that to redeem man the Son of God-Jesus, fully God and fully man, took our place on the cross, as an atoning sacrifice, the propitiation for our sins.
He hung, bled, died, and was raised from the dead on the third day and given all authority in heaven and earth. He built His Church upon this truth. Since the Gospel came into the world men have been pressing their way into the kingdom of God through the open door of the church, Jesus Christ. He is the head of the church and the church, His body.
When one sinner repents, the Heavenly host strikes up a joyful tune and surely, it is one of our Heavenly Father’s favorite pieces of music. The angels and the informed saints on earth make music to God’s ears, celebrating how another brother or sister who once was lost but now is found has made it over and gotten the victory made possible by the work of the Lamb of God.
Since, Jesus our Savior, was proclaimed in advance of His coming by prophetic word; since He was proven to be the Christ by His divine appearance and redemptive work as foretold through prophecy; and since He has been preached in the world up to this very day that we should come to know Him as Savior and Lord, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children should sing music that is derived directly from biblical truth with theological soundness. Our very faith is founded on believing that the bible is the tried and true inspired word of God, inerrant in content because its Author is infallible, incomparable as an instructional guide for righteous living, and the inescapable measure by which all men shall be judged. We are all out here on His word. ’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word; Just to rest upon His promise, And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Since the church is called to be holy as God is holy, then, we, the church-God’s consecrated children-should play music that directs us into reverent worship of God. The Scriptures pronounce that God seeks worship from us that is “in spirit and in truth.” Worship that is in spirit and in truth is evident in a lifestyle of personal inner and outer uprightness as detailed in the Holy Scriptures and determined by the leading of the Holy Spirit who aligns our motivations, thoughts, and actions with the Holy Scriptures to the glory of God. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee…
Since, Jesus has been exalted and given a name above every name, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children, should listen to music that provokes us to lift Him up in joyful praise, promoting His glory and majesty, and publicizing His many marvelous miracles wrought by His omnipotence in accord with His omniscience, and omnipresence. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world Is become the Kingdom of our Lord And of His Christ, And He shall reign for ever and ever… Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? His name is Jesus.
Since, Jesus is our great ministering High Priest and suffering servant Savior, then we, the church-God’s consecrated children should sing, play, and listen to music that ministers to the spirit of the saints encouraging them to continue on smoothing up the rough side of the mountain knowing that they have Blessed Assurance and recognizing that serving the Lord will pay off after while. We, the church, should sing, play, and listen to music that calls out to the unsaved beckoning them to Come to Jesus by faith in His word, challenging them to try Jesus for He’s alright. Letting them know that somebody's knocking at their door. Oh, sinner why don’t you answer? Somebody's knocking at your door. It knocks like Jesus at your door. When are you going to let Him in?
If we, living truly as God’s consecrated children, should write, arrange, sing, play, and listen to such music as described above then we will be as a magnificent melody to the Master Composer of all of life’s harmonies. Music composed of biblically derived content with theological soundness from biblically driven motives guided by the Spirit to minister biblically directed praises to our Maker, help and hope to the masses melded together now and later, simply based on the merit and might of the word of God and in particular the good news of Jesus Christ shall surely be music to our Heavenly Father’s ears.
Let the godly sing with joy to the Lord, for it is fitting to praise Him. Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for Him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing new songs of praise to Him; play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy. For the word of the Lord holds true, and everything He does is worthy of our trust. He loves whatever is just and good, and His unfailing love fills the earth. Psalm 33:1-5 New Living Translation
Amen – So Be It
Larry D. Reed, Sr.
I Owe Jesus
Submitted this day Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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