Sunday, February 19, 2012

Who Influences Your Faith?

Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

-- Psalm 1:1-2 (NKJV)

Who is your counsel? Who are your friends? What movies and television shows do you watch? What books do you read? Where do you hang out?

We like to pretend that it doesn’t matter. We know Jesus in our hearts. We don’t really need to edit what we see or hear. We certainly don’t need to avoid certain people because some of their actions aren’t, gulp, godly.

Yet the Bible tells us that we are not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly. We are being influenced by the people around us and by the media we consume. Don’t try to fool yourself. It’s the reason advertisers pay big bucks for ads during prime times, such as the Super Bowl.

That’s also where Satan attacks you. He knows all your buttons, according to Mark Hall, lead singer of Casting Crowns and author of Your Own Jesus. He noted that we say we believe in God but we are standing there right in the midst of the world. We look no different. So if we aren’t different, why should anyone else believe?

Good point. As Christians, we’re supposed to stand out. We’re supposed to be different. We’re supposed to light the way for a dark and lost world. We’re supposed to represent Jesus on this earth.

It’s not that we mean to blend in. It’s a slow fade (Hall’s words) away from Jesus. We make one small compromise, assuring ourselves that it won’t matter. Then we make another one and another one. It’s a slippery slope downward from there.

“We are who our friends are,” Hall writes. “What we put into our heads and hearts today will influence our choices tomorrow.”

So who is your counsel? Who do you listen to most? Are they godly people who live by His Word? Or are they worldly people who lack His foundation? What do you listen to on the radio station? Songs of praise to Him or songs of cheating hearts and love on the sly?

Our choices define our lives and our faith. We can walk with godly people and make wise choices based on His Word. Or we can allow Satan a foothold in our lives. Free will. Your choice.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sing Praises To Our God

Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre.

-- Psalm 81:1-2

Did you hear the music last night? Did your heart swell up with gladness as the choirs sang, the bells rang and the musicians shared their talents? So many churches had their musical events and it was such a joyous time.

We forget sometimes that worship isn’t always about serious topics of repentance and law. It isn’t always about what we shouldn’t have done and what we haven’t yet done. And it isn’t always somber and serious.

How awesome to shout aloud to our God! Oh, how wonderful to sing His praises. What joy to be glad and thankful and filled with pleasure at praising His Holy Name.

When did we get so serious? When did we decide that church services were meant to be solemn and sedate? Surely God didn’t intend for us to hide our gratitude and praise behind serious faces and laborious songs.

I’ve never believed that God meant to bind us to Him with rules intended to limit our ability to praise Him. I know. Some folks believe that anything beyond serious worship is dishonoring God. I don’t see it that way at all. While there is certainly a time and a place to be solemn, there is also a time to dance in the aisles and sing His praises. Like David did as he danced before his God.

Toward the end of the service I attended, the choir director told the audience that everything the choir had done, all the hours of hard work, had been done to please and praise Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We were blessed to hear it too. But they performed for Jesus. Maybe that was why it was so wonderful and moving and filled the hearts of everyone with gladness.

It seems we are always asking God for something. We’re always whining and needing and desiring. When was the last time you just thanked God for all that He’s done for you? When was the last time you sang to His Glory? When was the last time you dropped to your knees in gratitude?

The choirs tonight reminded us that sometimes the best gift we can give our Creator is the gift of song. It is the gift of thanks. It is the heartfelt gift of love.

Thank you God for sending your Son to us. And thank you Jesus for sacrificing yourself so that all who believe might live.