Praise Him with the trumpet...

Music is one tool we can use to give glory to God. It's used many times in the Bible. Trumpets were often used to announce the presence of God, (Joshua 6) a rallying call, (Nehemiah 4:20, Ezekiel 7:14, Matthew 24:31) and to praise God (Psalm  47:5, 81:3, 98:6, etc.). Also, we are encouraged to praise Him with many instruments (Psalm 151). David was a musician, and a skilled one at that (1 Samuel 16:18).

As a musician, I suppose I have a unique view of how music can be used to give Him glory. When musicians play/sing, our focus needs to be the Lord. (Hebrews 12:1-2, Proverbs 3:6) Too often when musicians perform, we can get caught up in the moment and think, "Oh, I can do this wonderful thing that all these people enjoy!" So instead of giving God the glory, we try to lay it on ourselves. When we do that, we are like the man in Proverbs 25:14- 

"Like clouds and wind without rain 

Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsly."

But as for me, I wouldn't be able to play or sing if God hadn't given me the talent to do so. That gift comes from Him. The least I can do is play for Him. Indeed, this is the case with all of us who God has blessed with musical ability. So when us musicians perform, let's instead be focused on doing our best for the Lord's pleasure. And let our lives reflect that point of view as we give glory to God throughout them.

I will strive to make this my life's cry:

"I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,

And I will glorify Your name forever."

-Psalm 86:12

Hi/Lo Thursday

This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts and get your link on their site.

Today, I'll be doing something a little different. I'm doing something called Hi/Lo Thursday, where I'll put down both the high points and low points of this week, be they spiritual or otherwise.

What have been my highs/lows from this week?

My HIGHS:

This week is spring break, and my girlfriend and her little girl are visiting my parents and
I this week! This is abig deal because they live out in Bremerton, WA, why my parents and I live here in Tulsa. The house is filled with laughter! My mom is overjoyed to be a "grandma" this week and my dad is being his normal corny-joke self, only he's constantly smiling as well. I'm totally over the moon with therem here, and I still have to pinch myself sometimes. The woman I love and her amazing child I adore are actually here! And I can't stop praising God for that! Then again, any time I think of them, I can't help but praise Him and thank Him.

The little child that captures my heart.

My LOWS:

With the two of them here, it's difficult to even think of any lows this week. Although, one of the lows of this week was hearing about the premiere of the opera my sister is starring in. It was very poorly put together. Some of the actors didn't have their parts down by the dress rehearsal, the lighting crew was getting no directionat all so they had no clue what they were doing, and the pit orchestra was unprepared as well. (You'd think that in New York City, the people would be more professional.) In the premiere performance, some people even had their music books up on stage, and some people were not even informed as to when the opera actually started. Needless to say it didn't go well. Thankfully, my sis is very professional and had her part down her dances down, and according to my mom who was there visiting she sang great. Subsequent performances went better, thankfully.

Care for a drink?

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There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 

For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 

Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?

"You are not greater than our father Jacob, are you, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?"

Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water with thirst again;

but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."

He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here."

The woman answered and said, " I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband';

for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly."

The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

"Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

"You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth' for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us."

Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

(John 4:7-26)

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Today, when looking at this passage, I was struck by a couple things. First, we are created to worship. That's how God's made us human beings. Secondly, the only way we can be fully satisfied is by worshiping the Lord; in spirit and in truth. God wants us to do so. And if we don't, we will worship other, worldly things and be wholly unsatisfied. In the case of the Samaritan woman, it was men. She had been married five times, and at the time was with a man she wasn't married to. For us it can be many things that we can make into our "idols" to worship in place of God: sex, drugs, or even our jobs, television, or a myriad other things. And just like the woman was unsatisfied with five husbands, we will be unsatisfied with things that are "idols" to us. When we worship something we've put in place of God, we'll always be left feeling empty and wanting something more. But with God, it's different. He is the something more. When we worship him, in spirit and in truth, we will never be unsatisfied. With Him, we find our true satisfaction in life. We were made to worship Him and bring glory to Him, and when we do so, we fulfill part of our purpose here on Earth.

So let's drink up that living water, and praise God for the hope and purpose in life that He gives us!

What Is Real Peace?

So what does true spiritual peace look like? Spiritual peace, that peace that surpasses all understanding (Philipians 4:6-9), is had when we are in communion with God, and dwell on things that He delights in. 

Does that mean that we won't have troubles? No! The Bible says that we will face various trials and trouble in the world. (John 16:33; James 1:2)  But those trials test our faith, strengthening it so that we may be ever more like Christ. (James 1:3-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7) So what does true peace from Jesus look like? Well, first let's look at what the world views as peace. 

What comes to mind when you think of peace? A quiet place, an escape, where you can just relax and throw your cares away, right? Well, let's picture a beach getaway where there's no problems, no storms raging, just clear blue skies with the sun shining brightly. Does that sound like the kind of setting that the Bible describes to us? (Matthew 24:9; Acts 14:22; 1 Thessalonians 1:6) 

You see, to those who don't know Jesus intimately, His peace seems to make no sense. Instead of a paradise island, a better picture instead would be a raging storm, and a shelter where you're shielded from it. The storm is still there, and all the problems associated with it, but you're able to make it through because of that shelter. It doesn't mean we won't get wet, or be cold, but there is hope to get through the night. It's not a perfect analogy, but one we can use for our purposes now.

Here's a picture of Jesus' peace. Parents have learned that their child has a very virulent form of cancer. The treatments are very difficult, but they somehow have a peace about the whole situation. They know that God is in control, and whatever the outcome, they know that He can use anything to glorify Him. They still worry about how the treatments are working, but they try to bring all of those concerns to God. Because they've given God control of the situation and they know that God is good and trust Him with the outcome, their burden is lightened. They have more peace. The average person could be devastated, and may start blaming God. Yet because they chose to glorify God no matter the outcome, they have more peace.

The peace that God has offered us with is so much deeper than my inadequate words could describe. Using words, one can't even scratch the surface of how much God has done for us. I simply praise Him for what He has done, and look forward to His continued work.

Renewing Rest

When rest comes, isn't it strange how it sometimes seems to come in the most unexpected ways? A couple of minutes of just sitting, and our batteries can start to charge. And put prayer in the mix, and it's like the charger gets plugged into a nuclear power plant. Prayer and meditation on God's word can revitalize us in ways that, frankly, astonish me. I don't know if I'll ever understand why keeping your focus on the things of God energizes us. Like a pastor I know used to say, when we're "grace-energized," God can work through us mightily, and often does. Have you been energized by the renewing of your spirit today? (Eph. 4:17-24) Have you worked on your relationship with God, like a husband or wife works on their relationship with their spouse? If you haven't, take some time today and focus on that relationship. He wants to be closer to you.

Where have I gone?

Maybe some of you are asking, where have I gone to? Why no posts in such a long time? 

Well, there's two reasons for it. Firstly, my schedule has gotten pretty busy with work and classes. 

Secondly, I've kind of run out of photos to feature that are my own creation. I have a film camera, and don't have the opportunity to bring it along with me when I see something "picture-worthy". Also, developing them is a bit of an inconvenience. But I should have a few more photos up soon, as I'm going to develop a couple rolls in the next few days.