I Just Can't Hear The Music

She was nine years old and doing well at the piano for her age. She would be playing in a recital in a few days, a recital that her teacher felt she would be one of the top performers. Today she was sitting at the piano in her home practicing the piece she would perform. The practice was not going well at all. She was distracted today by all the things that grab a nine year old little girl’s attention. One of her friends had called about a new boy at school. He had supposedly told his friend who had told his buddy and had let it slip at lunch and was overheard by her friend that the new boy liked her. All the pressures that come with being nine years old and having a new boy that might have said he liked you were pressing heavy on her mind. Besides that, her friend had been helping her modify her dress for the recital to help her look a little older, a task they were trying to keep from her mother. Because the new boy’s mother like piano she had heard and what if they came to the recital. Oh the pressures of being a nine year old.

So there she sat at the piano trying to practice her piece of music but her mind was a million miles off. As she attempted to play the line again that started the song she one more time missed the same note, she had continually missed the note over and over. It was at the next miss that her mother reprimanded her again over missing the note for what seemed the hundredth time. This time as frustration coupled with the pressures of being a nine year old boiled to the surface the little girl replied in a very frustrated voice, “I know it wrong, I just can’t hear the music.”

Though I never played in a recital I did take four years of piano. I know what it is like to seem not to be able to hear the music. I know what it is like to miss the note. You see you know it’s the wrong note but for some seemingly uncontrolled reason your hand up and grabs the wrong key and presses it like it’s the right one. I know what it is like to have my mother call down the stairs, “That’s not the right note.” Something I know because I have pounded it several times as if to make it the right note or punish it for getting in the way. The thing is, the right note, the right thing to do, was always very close to the wrong one, sometimes right beside it. But the frustration of the day and the wondering of my mind along with the lost direction in my thinking caused me to push the wrong note even though the right one was close by.

I have prayed at times what the little girl mentioned to her mother. I have told God I just couldn’t hear the right stuff. I just couldn’t seem catch the right note. As I cried out to God I told Him, Jesus I just can’t seem to hear the music right now. Life just seems so flat and off key!

You probably know what I mean. Living, if that’s what we want to call it, life sometimes is so frustrating. It is so easy to get strangled by all the stuff that is rushing through our living. Life becomes very loud and cluttered and we miss the music. We are constantly bombarded by the noises of life. Cell phones ringing, car alarms sounding and the everyday noise of our hurried life. Everywhere we turn the sounds of our world screams at us and each tries to override the other. Our life has become wrapped up in all this with much coming and going.

The pressure to perform is pushing from every side and we race a clock to make it all seem to work. At every turn life screams and yells its demands. We get up and hit the day running to accomplish all of life’s difficulties. Yet, in the mist of all this thing we call life there is a voice calling, calling reaching trying to touch our life with real meaning and purpose. God would love for us to stop and hear His voice and feel His anointing. But we will have to step away from the clutter long enough to listen.

I thought this morning if God would have called our cell phone or sent us an email or something on Twitter or Facebook we might have been able to have heard His voice above all that is going on. But because we didn’t take time to meet with Him we missed Him and we can’t hear the music.

What do you keep missing as you search for the right feeling, the perfect day or the ease of life?

What is strangling the relationship you once had with God?

What is killing your anointing taking the oil from your vessel?

When you can’t hear the music, life in not anointed by God.

When you are pressured by living, life in not enjoyable.

When you don’t enjoy living you can’t tell of the wonders of God.

When living is not fun you will not tell others of God’s grace and mercy.

When life is too heavy you can’t have a spirit of hospitality and love.

When you can’t hear the music the song just doesn’t really matter any way.

When you can’t hear the music, you miss the power of the song!

When you can’t hear the music you end up just surviving and not living.

Remember Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life (compared to a word that means breath), and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 NKJV

Jesus didn’t intend on us missing the song. So He warns us

 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with indulgence (burdens, headache brought on by over immoderation), drunkenness (intoxication by stuff) and the anxieties (distractions) of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.  For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:34-36 NIV

What is getting your song?

Why not stop and put everything aside and go spend some time in the arms of Jesus?

Seeing Us In The Bible

When one looks at the Tabernacle in the Wilderness that the Almighty gave the plans for to Moses, we see a court yard and how one was to approach God. Just before the priest could enter the presences of God he had to approach a certain piece of furniture. It was called the Brazen Laver. It stood on a pedestal and was made of the polished brass looking glasses (mirrors) that were brought and dedicated by the women of Israel. The reflective property of the water was enhanced by the mirror like brass of this laver. Thus everyone who approached it could see themselves in the reflection of it. The priest had to wash both his hands and his feet in this laver before he could enter the presences of God. This laver is a symbol of baptism where the blood of the sacrifice of our repentance causes our sins to be washed away in Jesus Name. We are cleansed so that sin no more has power over us.

It also is a symbol of our need of continual examination and washing of the Word of God.

Just as the priest continually washed his life before he entered to meet with God we too must daily examine ourselves in the mirror of the Word of God and allow it to cleanse us. We must look into the mirror of the Scriptures and be washed and changed by the Word of God.

Pastor James wrote in his book. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:22-25 NKJV

If we are not careful and also approaching the Word of God daily with our lives, we will simply attend church and walk away. We will hear the Word on Sunday, pray in an altar, then walk out and forget on Monday what kind of person we are. We will fail to change. Yet the Word of God promises that if we will not forget but continue to look into the Word of God and become a doer we will be greatly blessed.

The laver is where we see ourselves mirrored in the Word of God. The Word of God reveals our motives and intents of our heart. At this altar we stand before God and behold the truth about ourselves and are brutally honest with ourselves; for God demands truth in our inward parts. It is at this altar that we open the door to the rooms of our heart and allow the Word of God to change us into the image of Christ. We do this by reading and studying the Word of God. It must be a daily approach to the mirror of His Word. Here we should pray, “Let it be according to Thy Word, Your will and Your way! This is so important because God will not receive anyone who is not honest about their life before Him. Here we must ask God to gird us with the Truth of the Word. Ask God to cover the support of our life, that which governs the direction of our daily life, with the truth of the Word of God that we may not waver. Ask God to allow the helmet of salvation to be on our heads to protect us from human ideas and the influence of this world that are contrary to the Bible. Seeing our lives in the Word of God will change us into the image of God if we will be honest at how we see our lives in the Word of God and become a doer of the Word.

Yes, we will be tempted as the Apostle James wrote to walk away and forget what we saw. Yet, if we will continually approach the Word and see our lives we can change and be blessed.

Today devotion from My Utmost for His Highest reads like this.

The most important rule for us is to concentrate on keeping our lives open to God. Let everything else including work, clothes, and food be set aside. The busyness of things obscures our concentration on God. We must maintain a position of beholding Him, keeping our lives completely spiritual through and through. Let other things come and go as they will; let other people criticize us as they will; but never allow anything to obscure the life that “is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Never let a hurried lifestyle disturb the relationship of abiding in Him. This is an easy thing to allow, but we must guard against it. The most difficult lesson of the Christian life is learning how to continue “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord . . . .” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

I challenge you today to stop and see how your life looks in the mirror of the Word of God. See how close you are to the image of Christ. Don’t rush past this. We must look at our lives and living if we intend on approaching the presence of God with our life.

How does your living look today in the mirror of His Word?

LIVE CHOSEN

For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

A study of this verse and the one other time Jesus said this in Matthew 20:16, and you will find some eye-opening reasons to live every day for Jesus. As I studied the words of Jesus, I found that Jesus was telling us that many are called, invited, many get the invitation to mercy. The word called here is invited in the original text. It comes from a word that means invitation. In short yes many are called, many get the invitation to come to Jesus and many heed that invitation. It is from this point that we understand what the Apostle Peter was saying in 2 Peter 3:9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  Yes, many are called.

But then as I studies the word chosen the lights started to come on. Yes, the call is going out to many. But when we get to the chosen part some of odds we find in scripture is as low a fifty percent. No it’s not the Almighty being mean and without mercy. The word chosen that Jesus used here comes from a word that means to select: - make a choice, choose. The word its self means by implication favorite, or elect.

Many get the invitation, but few make a choice and choose.

Many are invited but few select to be favorite or elected.

Later in Matthew chapter 25 as Jesus is teaching about the end time and the coming of the Lord. He again gives us such examples.

The first is the story of the ten virgins. Five were wise and five were foolish. All ten are qualified to meet the bridegroom. All ten are called to be at the wedding. All ten get the invitation to be part. But we find that only five of them made plans and took actions to be chosen. The five wise understood the need to refill their vessel, they knew that time would take their oil and they would have to put more into their vessel. The wise understood they could not depend on a one time filling because the oil was going out. Yes, it cost them more and they had more to deal with and carry with them but when the wedding took place, when the bride groom came even though ten were called only five lived in such a way as to be chosen. They elected, made a choice to be chosen.

Jesus then tells the story of the talents. Each were called and blessed according to what the Lord knew their life could produce. No one was demanded to accomplish something they couldn’t accomplish. The Lord called them according to their abilities. Each one responded to that call accordingly. Each one lived an action that the Lord demanded, all that is but one. That one was called and blessed according to his abilities yet he failed to live out the demanded action. Maybe because he thought his gift was too small, he didn’t get what the other got. May be he was lazy and would not give the effort. We don’t know the whole reason but that’s not what Jesus was telling us. The one who failed to live chosen was cast out into outer darkness and what he had was given to another. He was called but he would not live chosen.

Luke records another example in Luke 19. We call it the story of the pounds. Read it and see the same example. Time and time again Jesus seems to reminds us of His words, Many get called but few will live to be chosen. I want to Live Chosen every day.

It is for this reason our push this year at FPB is that very thing. Our theme or direction for 2012 is Live Chosen. As a church we will attempt to make a place where you can accomplish such a life style. Yet we need a daily spiritual discipline at work in our personal life.

LIVECHOSEN

THE LIMITLESS POWER OF JESUS CHRIST

Spiritual Food – Diet and Nutrition

Word of God – Read, get the Word of God in your life.

Faithfulness to His House – Don’t lose this in this last day. Hebrews 10:25

Testimony – You are made an overcomer by your testimony. Revelations 12:11

Spiritual Fitness – Exercise and Management

Prayer – You need prayer in your life every day.

Discipline living – Learn to live a life that can say “no” to the desires of this world and flesh.

Worship and Praise – Every service and every day. Psalm 100, Psalm 150

Community – Group support

Family of God – You need all of the family in your life. Some helping you, some blessing you.

People who speak into your life – You can’t make it without people who will guide you. Who do you listen to?

Godly friends – Make sure that those you allow into your life, your close friendships, are full of God’s Spirit. An unequal yoke applies to more than just dating; it’s who you link your life to.

2 Corinthians 6:14

Tools – Help and Plan

Preached and taught Word of God – You need to be preached to so be faithful to church. It’s how you’re saved. 1 Corinthians 1:18-21

Personal Study – Carved out time to learn the Word of God. This is different than just reading.

Fasting – A must discipline in our life according to the scriptures.

I challenge you to Live Chosen. Yes, we each get the call but we need to make the effort to Live Chosen. To add to this thought process and living let me share a devotions that Jason, our Young Adults Pastor, sent me last week. It was a daily devotion from My Utmost for His Highest for January 14.

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ’Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ’Here am I! Send me’ —Isaiah 6:8

God did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, “. . . who will go for Us?” The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened. Then they hear “the voice of the Lord” continually asking, “. . . who will go for Us?” However, God doesn’t single out someone and say, “Now, you go.” He did not force His will on Isaiah. Isaiah was in the presence of God, and he overheard the call. His response, performed in complete freedom, could only be to say, “Here am I! Send me.”

Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or to plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistible pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate, insistence of His “Follow Me” was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we will allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard-”the voice of the Lord.” In perfect freedom we too will say, “Here am I! Send me.”

I challenge you this year,  LIVECHOSEN

Jesus is Simply Enough

This morning’s devotion for me went hand in hand with what James preached in the first service at FPB yesterday. Allow me to quote a portion from my devotion this morning.

“We would suppose that God in stepping down would step down just as little as possible. But instead He came down to the lowest order and took on Himself the nature of Abraham, (Humanity). I like what John Wesley said concerning this mysterious act of God in stooping down to tabernacle with us: we should be sure to distinguish the act from the method by which the act was performed. Do not reject the fact (God came in the flesh as Jesus) because we do not know how it was done, Wesley advised.

With the saints of all ages, we do well just to throw up our hands and confess, ‘Oh Lord, Thou knowest!’” {Taken from Renewed Day by Day, A.W. Tozer}

I may not be able to tell you why He did it except that the Almighty loves humanity but I confess and simply believe that the Creator of all things took on the form of a servant (humanity) and came to humanity. He could have only stepped down to become an angel but He became human and was tempted in all point such as we yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) I don’t have to know all the whys of theology I simply confess that Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings, He is God, the God.

The Apostle Paul, in writing a letter to a church in Corinth, takes a whole chapter to warn them against people teaching false religion. It is during this letter that he tells them just as the serpent lied to and deceived Eve in the beginning, Paul is worried that people are being fooled in their thinking and are walking away from the sincere simplicity of Jesus Christ. “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2Corinthians 11:3 NKJV

This is still a concern in our day. People tend to rush past the power of Jesus trying to find a great theological explanation. Again as Tozer said, “We need to confess and throw up out hands and declare, Oh Lord you knowest” He is the Lord.

Look at the Gospel of John in your New Testament Bible. John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (At creation the Word that created all things was God, it was all about God)

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Skip down to verse 14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The Word that was in the beginning, that created all things, that Word, that God was made flesh and walked among humanity. The Almighty clothed himself in a created body as a person would put on a robe and lived with the human race He had created. He became Emmanuel God with us.

So if you are tempted to rush past Jesus I would remind you today you are rushing past the Creator of all things. When we live as to believe that Jesus is not enough, when we direct our lives as if to not put importance on Jesus Christ we live as if to say the Almighty, the Creator of all things is not enough. They are one in the same.

Jesus wasn’t one of God’s many sons who drew the short straw. He was the only God. He wasn’t one of a multitude of messengers send down from above He was The Messenger come down from heaven to earth. God did one thing, He came!

John doesn’t write, a Word became flesh.

Or that, some Word became flesh.

Or the, flavor-of-the-day Word became flesh.

Or even that a, really good Word became flesh.

And certainly not, one of many Words became flesh.

John wrote that, the Word became flesh.

The same W-O-R-D that spoke at creation became flesh.

The One Word. The Definitive Word.  The One and Only Word – Jesus Christ.

God came! Understand the is a very important word as it tells us that there is no other Word that came to make a difference in the lives of people. The Word, a big-W not a small one but a capital W-O-R-D came! And the Word, the same word that spoke the worlds into their place. He came!

In the book of Acts we find the starting of the Church, the very first church and the very first sermon preached. It happens in Acts chapter 2. Jesus said it would happen this way starting at Jerusalem. “…and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Luke 24:47 -49 NKJV

I want you to understand today that sermon is only a short ten days or so from Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19 when He says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” When the Apostle Peter preaches the first sermon that day there standing with him are the others who Matthew says were with them that day in Matthew 28. They all heard what Jesus commanded them to do. So when Peter preaches in Acts he is not being a rebel. He knows that John 10:25 tells him the name of the Father. He knows that John 14:26 gives him the name of the Holy Ghost. Peter knows a Father has to have a name, a son has to have a name and a spirit has to have a name. Peter does not miss the power and simpleness of the Name of Jesus. If he had of acted in a rebel fashion some of the others who heard Jesus’ words would have stood up. But everyone understood that the Word came and the Word was Jesus, He was the one and only God.

So, when Peter and the others are asked by the crowd that day, what they must do?  Peter preached: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Act 2:38-39 

Peter and the rest knew that the Almighty had a name and His name was Jesus. They understood as simple as it was “All power in heaven and earth was in the name of Jesus.” Matthew 28:18

So for the entire New Testament everyone is baptized in the Name of Jesus. Jesus was enough for the whole New Testament. As simply as it may sound today, you need Jesus in your daily life. Jesus is all you need. Why? He is the Word; He is the one true God.

Its A New Page - Write Well!

As we begin this New Year, this fresh page of life to write on, we need to purpose in our heart to really make it count. Oh I know that every New Year we have a list of things we want to do or do better. Some have resolutions the rest of us at least hope to accomplish a plan. Yet, we often find ourselves a few weeks or months down the road and nothing has really changed. We can come up with a list of “whys” but really there are two reasons. One we lack discipline. The American culture is big on no discipline. We have a hard time on telling our selves no. For this reason we often simply don’t change. The answer to this is simply change. Grit your teeth and tell yourselves NO and then change. Get some discipline in your life!

The second thing we tend to do is we drag too many things (excuses) into the New Year. This was the subject of my sermon at Sunday’s New Year service. I took my title from Dr. Tony Evans book, No More Excuses. I then used some of his chapter titles for the excuses we need to lose. I don’t want to preach the message all over again. Yet, since I had to go through my points so fast that I’m sure you couldn’t remember them all, I would like to list them here today. Remember you have a brand New Year and I challenge you not to drag the excuses of yesterday onto this fresh new page. Lose the excuses! Discipline yourself and say No More…

No More Hiding Behind the Past!

There are things in every yesterday that were not right and fair. There are things in every yesterday that you wished hadn’t have happened. There are sins, events and happenings that we can each say we wish they were not there. There are people that did you wrong. There are decisions that were sinful. There were people that acted unChrist-like. Listen, repent, pray through it, get over it and let it go! It’s only history it does not belong in today! Stop using it as an excuse; you’re living in a day that does not belong to you (the past). Stop hiding behind the past! It’s only an excuse!

No More Feeling Worthless!

You have more influence with God than you think you do. God doesn’t make junk!

He has a plan for you. No one else may seem to care but God thinks you are it! Lose that spirit of feeling sorry for yourself. Change what needs to be changed and allow God to do something with the vessel He made. Stop using your feelings as an excuse its costing you your dream. It will leave you bound in a dark cell the rest of your life.

No More Sifting Through the Rubble!

Stop being a gleaner, a person that just takes the leftover and what others don’t want. God has a higher calling for you. You may feel you have already blown it or you miss your chance, give that thinking up.  Simon Peter messed up so many times it seems there was no hope of him ever being what God called him to be. Yet after all his failures God would not let him just sift through the rubble. Jesus said "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV) Don’t become satisfied with a little blessing when God has a big plan for your life. Change your life and the actions of your life. Start living with expectation that God has a great plan for you, because He does. So live like HE does

No More Second-Rate Marriages.

The church is only as strong as the families in it. Fall in love again and again and again. Marriages are falling apart on every side. Stop, read, pray, plan, and strengthen your marriage. Your marriage is to be an example of the Church and God’s relationship. It’s compared so in Ephesians chapter 5.

Ladies, stop complaining and nagging. Start responding to your husband like the church should respond to God. Men quit being a jerk and uncaring. Start loving your wife like God loves His church. You can’t do what you need to do for God if your home is wrong, if your marriage is not right. 1 Peter 3:7 says if your marriage is not right your prayers are hindered.  There are no more excuses do something about it!

No More Going Through The Motions!

Many people trudge to work every day and back home every evening with no sense of why they do what they do. Because thinking about and approaching your purpose can raise some uncomfortable questions, many people start hiding behind the daily routine. It becomes their escape, their excuse not to search for anything more. (I’m too busy!) We go through the same old life doing the same old things and accomplishing the same old accomplishments. We get to the place where we ask, “Is this all there is?” If you want to find your purpose you don’t go looking for it, you find the Purpose-giver. If you want to find the secret of life you need to find the Author-of-life. The greatest way to find out who you are is not looking in the mirror, but to look to God, the one who gave you your identity.  When you really find God you can then really find yourself. He made you and shaped you, He made you for a purpose that He knows. When you find Him you can see your purpose. You keep saying you are too busy to pray, too busy to find God daily, too busy to stop and crawl into His hand. But what you really mean is you don’t want to come face to face with God because of what He will show you. Life is God’s gift to you. The fastest way to put your life together is by following the Life-Maker. When you know God, you will know your purpose. No more just going through the motions it’s just an excuse.

No More Standing On The Sideline!

This is your chance to do something for God. It may be your last chance. Get off the sidelines and become part of what God is doing.  When you just stay on the sidelines you become critical on how the game is played.  When you stay on the sidelines you complain about what is not being done or how it’s being done.  Yet, when you get in the game you realize what it takes to win and make a move. When you get in the game you soon find out that there is more to this than you thought. But better than both of those reasons you get to enjoy the blessings of a win.

No More Business As Usual!

It’s time to go beyond the way it’s always been. You need to set your sites on a goal, figure out what it takes to get there and do the work between the goal and where you are now! Get a fresh vision and a clear sense of God’s will. Then develop a disciplined commitment that says that no matter how hard it gets or how much excitement drains away I am going to stay the course. Keep your vision alive and on track. Your vision and purpose may not seem as great and special as the wonders of the world, but it’s how God made you, it’s what He needs you to do and it’s just as important as anything is this world. We can no longer function as we always have.

Make up your mind and become part of what God is doing! There are no more excuses.

The success of tomorrow in mine and your life depends on the preparation we make today.

A lasting work requires extensive preparation!

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:14-17 KJV

I have to be in on the dream of what God is doing in this year. There are no more excuses.