Symphony Of Praise

Encourage each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. Ephesians 5:19

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Psalm 100:1,2

So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 51:11

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16

When we come to God, once we claim Him as Lord, we will bring (or at least try to bring) our best gifts and talents for His good pleasure to use, and we do this willingly. Our gifts or offerings are useful in God’s hands and we must let him be God. But he does not like our second best, especially when we already know it’s second best. These best gifts could include speaking, teaching, preaching, music, singing, friendships, fellowships, and the list could go on.

Is it good enough to offer God a cacophony of disharmonic noise when we can offer Him the better offering of music and song straight from a redeemed and thankful heart?

At harvest time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord. He brought some of the food that he grew from the ground, but Abel brought some animals from his flock. He chose some of his best sheep and brought the best parts from them. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift. But he did not accept Cain and his offering. Cain was sad because of this, and he became very angry. The Lord asked Cain, “Why are you angry? Why does your face look sad? You know that if you do what is right, I will accept you. But if you don’t, sin is ready to attack you. That sin will want to control you, but you must control it.” Genesis 4:4-7

Unity and Division

Like all places where similar people choose to meet, be it a club or a church, unity of mind and purpose is essential for its survival. There are few better places to be than with people who share your thoughts and views, where you can feel relaxed in the company as a whole. Since we are all human, differences can and do occur, which if big enough, can eventually cause disunity and then lead to division. When a club or church is divided, people get disenchanted, leave, and eventually it has to change, or it falls.

A church is not a club, it is a gathering place for all ages who want to learn about God’s Word, and those who claim the personal saving grace of Jesus Christ. So, the church is different, right? Oh I wish that was true, but unfortunately a church and a club have a common denominator. Their members are both fallible and imperfect beings. We may be human, but we are also supposed to be different because we are not our own, ‘we are bought with a price’ (1 Cor 6:20). Are we so human that we cannot see the price Jesus paid for our unity?

Why do we always have to be ‘right’ and get ‘our own way’? This applies to every age and ministry group, without exception. There can be a very fine line between unity and division, and sometimes we ignore the cracks that appear, and then before we know it, the house has fallen, with no winners! It’s one thing for a secular club, but born again Christians should know better, right? Sorry, ‘fraid not! From the dusty rubble, I can picture two opposing ‘my way’ groups facing each other saying, ‘now why did they have to force the issue like they did’? Am I right in questioning their salvation, or is that a step too far, and should that ‘crack’ also be ignored? Just asking.  

Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. Luke 11:17 NIV