Music from the heart

John 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Sunday our Old Time Gospel Music Group played at a local church after the Sunday service for their annual picnic. Our group was fed hamburgers and macaroni salad and then we set up to play in the noonday shade of the church office building. This church, like many has put away their hymn books and they sing modern music, that no one knows, led by a young music director. Our group played the old hymns and had a great time. Several joined in, using their old hymn books to sing along with us. We know hundreds of the old hymns by heart.

Monday night I joined a local community band at the Monday night concert in the park. It was HOT, 103 degrees. Acorns from a tree kept falling on our heads and into the upright Tuba. They looked like rabbit pellets. We played marches and show tunes featuring music by Henry Mancini. A lot of the music I was not familiar with and just read the notes. There is a big difference in reading notes and playing from the heart. The LORD wants us to worship him from the heart and not by mouthing words. 

I really  am not touched by much of the new Christian music and I cannot sing it from my heart like the old hymns of the faith. I understand that they want to appeal to the young people, but why imitate their music? Is it pleasing to the LORD?

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Androids and Hell

I have several directions to go this morning. I had been thinking about getting a small laptop, something portable, maybe to do Bible studies and to connect on the Internet. I did not find anything small enough, or cheap enough... I did find an Android Tablet that was less expensive and with a keyboard case. This is better for me then trying to type on a screen. I will see if it will do what I want. No, it will not connect to chats, but it has other features that are useful including  camera and video. 

Lisa sent me a note and got me to thinking about the Trinity. The Bible shows God as all powerful, someone to fear, a consuming fire. The Old testament required that we obey or pay by the judgement of God. Jesus came to take our judgement upon himself. God came in the Son, a friendly approachable God, that was touched and had feelings of love and mercy for us. This is God in all his grace for all who would believe in him. The Holy Spirit is God invisible. The presence of God as a wind, but whose presence brought miracles and truth; the world desperately needs truth. Through Jesus we are filled by the Holy Spirit, we fear and reverence our Father who invites us into his presence as adopted children. Jesus is our approachable Saviour and High Priest who has experienced suffering and death as a human. We have a God with a loving heart who cares for his people. What happened to the consuming God?
 He is still there to take vengeance on those who chose to go there own way, doing evil and harming the people of God. God is approachable through Jesus, for all people. Come to the friendly God and Saviour and do not fall into the fire of God and eternal hell. Hell? Yes, hell is where sinners go who have not been covered by the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. He died for you to keep you from hell.
Hopefully the Android will be a blessing and hopefully you will trust in Jesus and stay out of Hell.

Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 

Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire. 

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Encourage

Rom 14:1  Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
Rom 14:2  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
Rom 14:3  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.

We can be tolerant of another's choices that are not important and we should not say words to start an argument, let it go and walk in peace.

 

Rom 14:10  But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Rom 14:11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Stop being your brothers judge. God is the judge. We may encourage but not condemn. It is best to make sure that we are not the problem. We are known by our fruit, so let's be sure that we are behaving as Jesus and doing his will.

 

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Rom 15:2  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Rom 15:3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

We are to help others to be fruitful in their callings. We need to get the focus off of self and others faults and be a blessing, helping others grow. By doing this we also will increase in godliness.

 

Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Gal 6:2  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Gal 6:3  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

We are to restore, not condemn. Who made us a judge? We are to be positive, for we of ourselves are forgiven sinners; we are nothing apart from Christ.

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To Know God

Isa 50:4  The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. 
Isa 50:5  The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. 
Isa 50:6  I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 
Isa 50:7  For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 

Joh 8:54  Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 
Joh 8:55  Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 
Joh 8:56  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 
Joh 8:57  Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 
Joh 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 

Joh 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 

Joh 10:15  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 

1Jn 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 

1Jn 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 

1Jn 2:5  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 

1Jn 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. 

1Jn 5:21  Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. 

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Whosoever will

John 1:11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
John 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
John 1:13  Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

To receive Jesus is to be received by God the Father who sent him. It is the will of God that we come to Jesus and be saved. We must obey God from the heart, before we can come to Jesus and be saved. We cannot be saved by blood relationship; being a Jew or being born into a Christian home. We are not saved because we will to be saved, unless we submit to God's will. The flesh may pretend to be a Christian for reasons of the self; perhaps a girlfriend is a church member, or it may be a way to get new customers for your business, or social contacts, as belonging to a club. We are not saved because someone else wills it, although the prayers of a friend may contribute to your salvation. I have seen people dragged to the altar at church because of the will of a well meaning friend, but they would soon run from church. God the father wills for you to be saved, to be born again of His Spirit and he must put that desire in your heart. He will draw you to Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Your will must submit to the will of God. Your spirit must be moved by the Spirit of God. Spirit to spirit we are made new by receiving the gift of salvation purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ our saviour. Obey God and be a whosoever will.

 

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

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Our friend John

Some things we do not have to understand or try to figure out. With God, walking in his will is our calling and the things that happen are best seen looking back. Look back to see God's grace in the things that happen. Every day our phone would ring and it would be John calling. Never is there much to say but it was just a friendly chat with my wife. Yesterday the phone rang and it was John's sister calling long distance to say that John had died in his sleep. That is a good way to go. John was a veteran who fell off of a truck and hit his head. This injury slowed him down. For years he ran with old friends who were into drinking and drugs. After many years of this John came to Jesus as his saviour; he was changed, a pleasant man who lived in assisted living. He would come to our church all dressed up in an old suit and tie; very proper and almost out of place in the casual dress of today's church people. John was simple, gentle and faithful. That is a good combination of character traits. Keep life simple, be content with what you have. Stay in contact with friends and be kind. Let us thank God for his many blessings and for our friends with us and in our past.

 

1Th 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 

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The family of Jesus

Mar 3:31  There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
Mar 3:32  And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee.
Mar 3:33  And he answered them, saying, Who is my mother, or my brethren?
Mar 3:34  And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
Mar 3:35  For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

 

Jesus is not rejecting his physical family, but he is showing that his spiritual family are closer than his natural family. The true family of Jesus are those who do God's will. Remember that to be in God's will we are to be sanctified unto him. Our walk is to be by choice, a spiritual walk with him. I like the old hymn, "In the Garden" that says " he walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am his own." We love the family of God because we love the Lord Jesus. We love God our Father and we love our brethren. Meeting together is to celebrate our relationship as adopted children of God. There is no mention of Jesus calling his natural birth mother as "mother". Some religious people refer to Mary as the mother of God. That elevates her beyond her position as a blessed chosen humble woman, chosen as the birth mother, and yet Jesus did not hesitate to call the mothers of faith who obey God as his true mothers, and faithful Mary is included as she obeyed God. This was for us to understand. In the church we have new brothers, sisters, mothers and yes even spiritual fathers of faith who are closer than our birth family that have not come to Jesus. We are to love our natural families, but we truly love and are one with God's spiritual family, that do his will.

 

John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

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