The Greatest Love

I am continually amazed how God works. The way He allows us to reconcile our self to Christ at any moment is a benefit far greater than what we deserve. It would not be injustice if we had to work to get back into fellowship with God, yet he chooses to simply accept our repentant heart and opens His arms wide for us to run into.

Then things change. So many times I’ve struggled through the week with bad attitudes trying to make myself show love to others and be kind to the people around me. I find it challenging, requiring much effort, but yet unsuccessful. Yet the moment I am reconciled unto God I find it so easy to love any and everyone. I no longer have to look at a prayer list to be reminded of who has needs, because they are on my heart and mind out of a true concern. I have found 1 John 4:7-8 to be so true! “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” I have heard preachers say that they didn’t know how to love until they became a Christian and I use to wonder at such a saying. Now I understand. I can’t truly love someone in a selfless Christ honoring way unless God’s love is present in my life and my love for him is real. Any love apart from this must be a selfish or shallow love, nothing like the love God has toward us and the love that he places in our heart. I firmly believe living life without this love isn’t really living at all!

The Glories of Christ

"To know Christ — is true wisdom;

To love Him — is the evidence of grace;

and  to walk with Him — the highest honor that can be put upon a sinful creature."

~ James Smith 1842

My Latest Inspiration

I once read that a good writer is a reader. The same aspect can be applied to instrumentalist. If you want to be good at the instrument you play you must listen to music. So over the past year or two I have come up with quite a variety of "inspiration" music (hymn instrumentals) that I listen to often. I don't like everything I hear from any certain artist, but I am able to get something out of each CD and try to apply it to my own music. I happen to be very particular about what kind of style I play, so it's very easy for me to point out what I do and don't like. I wont be discussing that in this post because it's just a matter of preference and who is to say I have the right or better taste? What I may dislike, my sister may love! So we won't spend much time on that, but you may be able to figure out my style without me spelling it out.

Daniel Hopkins

When I began looking for good quality piano hymns I asked a fellow blogger (who is going to college for music ministry) for recommendations. He told me about Daniel Hopkins who was making his first CD, For the Audience of One, and as soon as it was available I bought it and was very pleased! Not only do I listen to his CD over and over, but I also visit YouTube to hear many other arrangements he plays at his church in California. Daniel plays moderately fast to fast, and keeps his songs exciting (for a lack of better words). I really like his introductions because they are interesting and not too long. (Some peoples introductions last about a third of the song!) He is also very good at playing the slower "mood" or reflective songs, but when I need inspiration for a fast and fun song I always turn to Daniel Hopkin's arrangements. If I don't find what I'm looking for I at least come away with some good ideas for the introduction to my song.

Erin Bates

This piano player isn't just someone who I've heard play beautiful melodies through my CD player, but someone I've met in person. She and her siblings have been to our church twice and were very nice. Though she is a year younger than me she plays as if she has 10 years more experience under her belt! In fact she is a big encouragement to me because of her age, seeing that she can do it makes me believe that I can accomplish the same. She fills her songs with lots of unique runs and arpeggios as well as octave scales in the bass. Her CD is titled, Merciful and Mighty, and she is working on her second recording which will hopefully come out within the next few months.

Greg Howlett

I've only been listening to Greg Howlett's music for a few months but I feel like I know a lot more about him because of his blog and YouTube lessons. In my opinion his talent is in "mood" music, or "reflective" music as he calls it. His songs are very soothing and relaxing, and in a lot of ways, less extravagant than most. He  has a deep understanding of music and has learned how to make it powerful with less notes. Instead of filling his songs with fancy frills, he uses a lot of impressive chord substitutions that makes his music sound much more interesting than the original chords that are written in the hymn book. He has really got me excited about chord substitutions and color notes, so much that I'm starting to think that chord substitutions are more important than all those fancy runs and arpeggios. But Greg doesn't just record his music and leave it at that, he has created sessions with the church piano player in mind so that we can advance our talent in a way that will be beneficial to our church. The prices are very reasonable, thought he has a wealth of information on his website that is free. (I absolutely love his free arrangement of Just as I Am.) In one of his free sessions on soft music he stated several things that have stuck with me which I will talk about in another post.

Of his 5 CD's I have, Seasonal Spice, Quiet Place, and Portraits of Hope, all of which can be found at his website along with his blog.  If you like orchestra music you will like Portraits of Hope, but if you prefer to listen to primarily the piano then Quiet Place is a much better place to start. If this post has been interesting to you, be sure to check out Greg Howlett's interview with Erin Bates. They both share some of their favorite piano styles and talk about the recording process.

Delighting

This week my favorite scripture came up twice. "Delight thyself in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalms 37:4. Once durring Sunday School and also in my Daily Scripture Calandar. Both times I read it I got one of those feelings where I just knew something was going to happen. It had to be something special for God to show me this verse that means so much to me not just once, but twice.

I had other things on my mind. Other things I wanted it to be. But instead God gave me this . . .

. . . and I was more than happy.

 

The Ministry of Reconciliation

Sometimes when I think about how long I have been saved and been in church I am ashamed to admit my lack of knowledge or the things that I have felt. But I believe that there are other young Christians who feel the same way. God commands us to "Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed." I have a desire to tell others some of the things that I have been insecure about in my Christian walk so that others may find motivation and determination to give their all to God. Just reading these articles will not help you find the answer to your problems, but they may show you how much clearer things are when your life is lived for and through Christ alone.

Over the years I have struggled with not knowing who I should befriend and who I should kindly avoid. Most of the people I am around are Christians, but I wasn't sure if I should befriend those Christian's who aren't actively serving God or committed to doing what's right. I realize this may sound very judgmental, but since I am already an introvert I was really looking for an excuse to stay to myself and the few people that I was drawn to. I also had an overwhelming desire to do everything right and to look right to everyone around me, thus I was very conscientious about who I was associated with.

On the other hand, sometimes there were people that I enjoyed talking to casually, yet almost felt guilty for doing so because they weren't a Christian or they were living their own life totally unconcerned about what God wanted. I've heard so many people say that most of the time you don't bring them up, they bring you down, that I really believed that. I had a hard time finding the balance between being someone's friend and being friendly to them and nothing more. Many times my soul was in turmoil over this.

For the past several weeks my mind and heart have been fixed on God more than ever before. I finally came to a point in my life where I was tired of being inconsistent and struggling every day to do what was right. I decided that I was going to serve God and I was not going to give up no matter how hard it would be. My mind has been so focused on learning the scriptures and learning how to develop a better prayer life that I no longer worried about who I should befriend. God had filled my soul with joy so that everyone I passed at work I smiled at and gave a hearty greeting. At church I was more confident in myself and actually had a desire to talk to others a little more than I had in the past. Without even trying I began to be a friendlier person in small ways.

During this time of renewed fellowship with God, a missionary from Palou visited our church while on deputation. One of the scriptures he preached out of was II Corinthians chapter 5:17-18. "Therfore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;" These scriptures have stuck in my mind and I've read them over many times because the meaning behind them is so great. When the missionary read this passage I felt like God pointed straight at me and said, "That's your ministry" and truly it is because the scripture says so itself.

To reconcile is to to "call back into union and friendship the affections which have been alienated or to restore to friendship or favor after estrangement." (1828 Webster's Dictionary) I believe this ministry of reconciliation is two-fold. Primarily, we are to introduce the lost world to Christ by the words we say and the way we live. Secondly, I believe we are also responsible for drawing wayward Christians back to Christ. Many have gone astray, and if we pull them back into fellowship with the good Shepherd our efforts to reach the lost will be stronger.

Since God has shown me this I look at every person I meet as an opportunity to serve God through this ministry. Every chance I get to talk to someone is a chance for me to speak God's name. Saved or lost, there is opportunity to serve the God that I love. I no longer wonder if God wants me to be friendly to the co-worker who is living in sin. I don't question if befriending that lady at church is "worth it". At first glance it may seem like most of the friendships or friendly acquaintances I have do not benefit me, but they most certainly do. Every time I speak God's name to someone, in person or in e-mail, my soul is thrilled because I love to brag on my God! I love this ministry of reconciliation.

Colossians 3: 23

It's one of the scripture's in my Bible that I highlighted years ago. It's the scripture that I've quoted many times. It's the scripture that is sent with every e-mail at work. It's the scripture that I can't get out of my head!


Today I wasn't having one of the best days. It was just one of those days when I didn't feel like giving my all. I wanted to do a half-hearted job like everyone else and call it a day so that I could go home and do something easy. Then I heard it, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" So I sat back down at my desk, pulled my project back out, and worked on it some more. I can do this.

Hours later I was working on yet another project which I wasn't enjoying so much. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" . . . Lord, did you really have to put that scripture in the Bible?


Now I'm at home dusting my room like I do every week. I know that this is the last thing on my chore list so the sooner I get done the sooner I can do what I want to do. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;" So I wiped down each tea pot and dusted underneath every piece of paper on my desk and put away my candles that were misplaced . . . and it felt good.

We are serving the Lord
When I began to meditate on this scripture I realized that it has several purposes. The first one is listed in the next verse, "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." When I am at work entering codes into the computer or when I am at home dusting my room I am serving God. By doing my best I am obeying God's Word and pleasing Him who bought me with his blood. Our heavenly reward (the one that really counts) will be great if we do everything as unto the Lord.

We can shine our light
A great benefit that comes from obeying this scripture is one that everyone can recognize. Others see that we are dedicated and a hard worker and they wonder at it. In a world where everyone is looking for the easy way out, an easy solution, and are satisfied with a half-hearted job, we Christian's can shine forth like bright lights for Christ. God will open up doors because of our faithfulness, for we all know that everyone prefers a hard worker in time of need whether it be in a church program, helping someone organize their home, decorating the church, or cleaning our neighbor's yard. At first they only see our good works but God may allow us to show them the One behind them all, the one who is driving us to give our best in all that we do. We have the opportunity to build a good reputation and turn it around to glorify God.

Earthly Rewards

The benefit of this command doesn’t stop with God's reward or the opportunities it creates to serve God; it also makes our life on earth more enjoyable. In my own life, when I know that I've worked hard all day I can take pride in my work and feel good about the way my time was spent. When I know that I did everything to the best of my ability I don’t have any regrets. I can rest in the knowledge that I pleased God and it gives me the courage to keep doing my best, knowing that the more diligent I become the easier it will be to do the right thing.

I still may not feel like giving my all at everything I do, but the more I meditate on it the more I believe that working as unto the Lord will open up opportunities to serve . . . and that's worth everything!

Am I a Workman?

Something to ponder . . .

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

A workman is someone who masters his skill and produces something good from it. Are you a workman?