JANUARY 31 DEVOTION BIBLE READING: PHILIPPIANS 4:8-9
I am amazed at the number of songs that are in my memory and pop up now and then and I find myself singing them. Some of them from way back in my teen years. I remember when I was serving as a Military Policeman doing midnight shift. Those nights were long and lonely and I would find myself singing the great songs of the church. I know I sounded great, as I would sing loud...just glad it was dark and there was nobody else out at that time. Music like so many other things is a gift from God and it can be powerful in people's lives. When I was leading youth in the early 1980's I talked to the young people about the music they listened to and the impact it had on the way they think. One parent was not happy with me and told me it didn't really matter what her son listened to, because “they are only words, they don't mean anything or change anything." I then asked her why she and her family came to church for the teaching of God's Word, after all, "they are only words, with no power to change anything."
We humans use music to express ourselves in a deeper way than we are often able to by any other means. Music touches our emotions and some say touches our souls. We use music in worship to prepare us and to bring us into the presence of God. We have all been inspired by songs that met the need of the moment...it ministers to us in a way that just the spoken word cannot. Music is a great gift from God; we need to be watchful that we treat it as such. The power of music can be used for good, but it also can be used for ungodly purposes. Be careful what you spend your time listening to...it's not so much about the genre, as it is about the message. With what we feed our souls, becomes a huge part of who we are and how we think.
Please share your thoughts.
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