Apples of Gold
Apples of Gold contains articles to help you draw closer to God and grow in your worship of Him. It is our desire that these truly will be words "fitly spoken" to encourage you in your walk with the Lord.
Acceptable Meditations
Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
It’s important to understand that the root word from which we get the word music is “muse.” “To think.” Music is truly thoughts expressed by patterns and combinations of sounds. One note by itself doesn’t say a whole lot. But the minute that note is combined with another, a melody is born, enriched by a supporting harmony, and carried along by the accompanying rhythm – an idea is being communicated by the composer. Music is a powerful conveyor of thoughts and emotions. That’s why it is important that, as Christians, we meditate (think) on the right things. Joyful Meditations exists to help believers fill their hearts and minds with acceptable things. Things that, as Philippians says are lovely, full of virtue and truth, of a good report, and full of praise. How blessed are we when we think on these things. May the prayer of the psalmist be echoed in our hearts and may the music that we listen to cause our minds to be drawn to our Redeemer.
What is God's Perspective on Prayer?
It happened just this morning. I had just completed one meeting and one minor task when my cell phone rang.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, Dear?”
“Is my book bag in your office? I think I left it there yesterday. Can you bring it home to me?”
Ugh! I was just getting into my day and now I have this interruption! I often get calls from her brothers and sister, too. Last night it was a phone call while I was on a date with their mother. Once again, “Ugh!” was my gut response as I listened to the report that their rough housing had resulted in one of them getting hurt. Lest you think too ill of me, let me explain that my chagrin is not with the fact that my children are calling me, but with the news they are delivering. It makes a big difference. It thrills me when the phone rings and I discover that one of my children is on the phone, regardless of the reason. When my nine year old daughter called about the book bag, just the sound of her voice melted my heart. I love to hear her voice and talk with her. My love for my children makes it special to talk with them even when the topic is less than pleasant.
Why is Music in the Church So Important?
Do you ever wonder what makes music in the Church so important? Why do we devote so much time, effort, and invest so much money in the music that is used in our worship services? I read an interesting quote recently that I think expresses one significant answer to this question. The author stated “Music is ‘take home theology.’” “We both reflect and shape our theology by what we sing.” Music in the church is important because it gives a voice to the belief system of the body that is singing. That is why it is important that the texts that the church sings be Scripturally accurate, and not only accurate, but balanced, reflecting all of the things that are true about God. We would rightly be concerned if every Sunday our Pastor preached a sermon on one aspect of God’s character. While that aspect may be true, there are other truths that need to be presented in order to give the listener a complete picture of God. The same is true of music. If we only sing songs that speak or teach that God is our friend, we are neglecting to our spiritual harm the truth that God is also holy, that He is a righteous judge, etc., etc.
So what we sing is important because people will be more likely to remember the truth that they have just sung in church longer than what they heard being preached. We must make sure to sing what is true and what will represent a true picture of our God.