Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. Psalms 33:3 KJV
I've read this verse a million times, but I was reading Matthew Henry's commentary on it today and it outlines some great guidelines for worship.
1. Sing a NEW song, not an old one you've sung hundreds of times. When you do something repetitively, it loses its value. When you buy a new car, it's shiny and exciting for a while. But after a few months of driving it 2 hours a day, every day, it gets filled with coffee cups and Burger King bags and dust. When a worship song moves you and you sing it over and over, week after week and year after year, it turns into more words than worship. Sing God a new song, one that flows from your heart and reflects what you are feeling at that moment that his presence touches your heart in an intimate moment of worship.
2. Play skillfully. Those that are involved in worship, whether its leading, singing in the choir, or playing an instrument, must play skillfully. And everyone knows that it is difficult to play anything skillfully if you never practice. Its even more difficult to sing a new song skillfully if you've never practiced it.
3. Play skillfully with a loud noise. I've been told "bless'em, don't blast'em" ever since I picked up a guitar. And while you don't want to hurt anybody's ears, this verse commands us to be loud. Not simply for the sake of being loud, but because of enthusiasm. If church worship is to be anything more than a boring sing along, micky-mouse-follow-the-bouncing-ball, there has to be enthusiasm. And enthusiasm does not breed quiet mumbling, but rather boisterous shouts and singing at the top of your lungs from the bottom of your heart.
God has given us such a great tool with which to worship Him, and that is music. Chords and sounds are like colors for the ears, invoking different feelings and emotions. Words are the same way for our minds. When we combine the emotional side of music with anointing of the Holy Spirit, it will move people every time.
Conversely, when we play the same songs in the same style and mumble the same words, we limit ourselves in what we can do through the music and we limit God by putting people's minds on auto-pilot with repetition.
Below is what Matthew Henry's commentary has to say about Psalms 33:3.
"Sing unto him a new song, the best you have, not that which by frequent use is worn, thread-bare, but that which, being new, is most likely to move the affections, a new song for new mercies and upon every new occasion, for those compassions which are new every morning.’’ Music was then used, by the appointment of David, with the temple-songs, that they might be the better sung; and this also is here called for (v. 2): Sing unto him with the psaltery. Here is, (1.) A good rule for this duty: "Do it skilfully, and with a loud noise; let it have the best both of head and heart; let it be done intelligently and with a clear head, affectionately and with a warm heart.’’
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
No Speed Limits
For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Romans 5:13
O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. 1 Corinthians 15:55-56
I've heard and known about these scriptures virtually all my life. But I was reading 1 Corinthians 15 today and it came alive in me all over again. It wasn't like I was discovering a new thing, but more like I was visiting with a close friend that I hadn't seen in years.
Where there is no law, there is no sin. That's not rocket science. But as I pondered that, I began to wonder "Does that mean God created law knowing we couldn't keep it, and in a roundabout way, create sin Himself just so that we'd come crawling to Him in guilt and shame? That's kind of manipulative." So, I pondered a while longer.
Where there is no law, there is no sin. If you are driving down a busy road that has no speed limits, you can do 5 mph, 50 mph, or 150 mph. It doesn't matter, because there are no guidelines. You cannot break the speed limit if the speed limit does not exist. But what happens when the guy doing 150 mph comes flying up on the guy in the beat up truck doing 45? Or how about the new driver too inexperienced to drive 85 in traffic but feels pressured to do so? There would be chaos and car wrecks all the time. There would be no crime because no one would be breaking the speed limit, because the speed limit did not exist. But, people would be seriously injured and even killed. Where there is no law, there is no sin, but where there is no law, people get hurt.
Wow. That explains it. God didn't create law so that we would break it and be forced to choose between Him or hell. He created the law saw that we wouldn't crash and burn on a speed-limit-less highway and injure or kill ourselves or others. He didn't arbitrarily hand down laws for us to follow just for the sake of following laws, because he is not a legalistic God. Rather, we are toddlers reaching for the hot fireplace or stove, and God has told us "no" so that we don't burn our hands in our childish ignorance.
Again, nothing really new or revolutionary about this, but it is food for thought. And food for thought is always good.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is] thy victory? The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law. 1 Corinthians 15:55-56
I've heard and known about these scriptures virtually all my life. But I was reading 1 Corinthians 15 today and it came alive in me all over again. It wasn't like I was discovering a new thing, but more like I was visiting with a close friend that I hadn't seen in years.
Where there is no law, there is no sin. That's not rocket science. But as I pondered that, I began to wonder "Does that mean God created law knowing we couldn't keep it, and in a roundabout way, create sin Himself just so that we'd come crawling to Him in guilt and shame? That's kind of manipulative." So, I pondered a while longer.
Where there is no law, there is no sin. If you are driving down a busy road that has no speed limits, you can do 5 mph, 50 mph, or 150 mph. It doesn't matter, because there are no guidelines. You cannot break the speed limit if the speed limit does not exist. But what happens when the guy doing 150 mph comes flying up on the guy in the beat up truck doing 45? Or how about the new driver too inexperienced to drive 85 in traffic but feels pressured to do so? There would be chaos and car wrecks all the time. There would be no crime because no one would be breaking the speed limit, because the speed limit did not exist. But, people would be seriously injured and even killed. Where there is no law, there is no sin, but where there is no law, people get hurt.
Wow. That explains it. God didn't create law so that we would break it and be forced to choose between Him or hell. He created the law saw that we wouldn't crash and burn on a speed-limit-less highway and injure or kill ourselves or others. He didn't arbitrarily hand down laws for us to follow just for the sake of following laws, because he is not a legalistic God. Rather, we are toddlers reaching for the hot fireplace or stove, and God has told us "no" so that we don't burn our hands in our childish ignorance.
Again, nothing really new or revolutionary about this, but it is food for thought. And food for thought is always good.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Motes, Beams and Dirty Windows
I received the following in an email this morning and I found it to be absolutely brilliant.
"A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the youngwoman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside."That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't knowhow to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."Her husband looked on, but remained silent.Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the youngwoman would make the same comments.About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a niceclean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she haslearned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned ourwindows."And so it is with life. What we see when watching othersdepends on the purity of the window through which we look.~Author Unknown"
How true!?!? So often we point out the faults of others when often the flaws we are seeing in them are simply reflections of ourselves in a dirty window pane. Jesus told the same story, only he was talking about motes and beams. A small twig, straw or piece of chaff. A beam is, well, a beam. Look at the size difference between a small twig and a beam. Do you think perhaps Jesus was perhaps saying a little something to us about hypocrisy? The flaws we see in others are insignificant in comparison to our own sin and hypocrisy.
"And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, `Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." Matthew 7:3-5 NLT
Pretty clear, isn't it? So why don't more people abide by this scripture? I believe it's because dirty windows don't just affect how we see out, they affect how we see in too. They affect the amount and quality of light that comes in. It is a cycle. Many times, we cannot see our own hypocrisy because our pride is in the way. Have you ever gone weeks without washing your car? It didn't look so bad...until you washed it and realized just how dirty it was.
We are the same way. On a regular basis (daily in my opinion) call on the Lord and ask him to wash our windows so we can clearly see others with love and without judgement or hypocrisy, and so that we can see clearly into ourselves to find the issues over which we need to repent and reform.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
"A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the youngwoman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside."That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn't knowhow to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."Her husband looked on, but remained silent.Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the youngwoman would make the same comments.About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a niceclean wash on the line and said to her husband: "Look, she haslearned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned ourwindows."And so it is with life. What we see when watching othersdepends on the purity of the window through which we look.~Author Unknown"
How true!?!? So often we point out the faults of others when often the flaws we are seeing in them are simply reflections of ourselves in a dirty window pane. Jesus told the same story, only he was talking about motes and beams. A small twig, straw or piece of chaff. A beam is, well, a beam. Look at the size difference between a small twig and a beam. Do you think perhaps Jesus was perhaps saying a little something to us about hypocrisy? The flaws we see in others are insignificant in comparison to our own sin and hypocrisy.
"And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, `Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." Matthew 7:3-5 NLT
Pretty clear, isn't it? So why don't more people abide by this scripture? I believe it's because dirty windows don't just affect how we see out, they affect how we see in too. They affect the amount and quality of light that comes in. It is a cycle. Many times, we cannot see our own hypocrisy because our pride is in the way. Have you ever gone weeks without washing your car? It didn't look so bad...until you washed it and realized just how dirty it was.
We are the same way. On a regular basis (daily in my opinion) call on the Lord and ask him to wash our windows so we can clearly see others with love and without judgement or hypocrisy, and so that we can see clearly into ourselves to find the issues over which we need to repent and reform.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Starbucks, Suburbans, and Sticking It To the Man
Today is election day, a day when we the people get to cast our vote and make our voices heard, knowing full well that we are merely going through the motions. The electoral system is a joke. Maybe it is good in theory, and maybe in this most recent election it worked in favor of our country, but it is a joke. When a presidential candidate can win the popular vote (Al Gore) but NOT the electoral vote? Come'on! That's a joke! "We the People" voted and the majority wanted the tree hugger...thank God that didn't happen, but still; it's the principle of the matter.
The average American casting his ballot, thinking he or she is making a difference is much the same as a child sitting in his daddy's lap, holding the steering wheel and driving the car. Daddy is steering the car, but the child, not knowing any better, has the illusion of being in control.
I fully believe in taking an active part in this big mess called democracy. I agree with the idea of not being allowed to complain about politics if you didn't vote. However, I feel kinda like the kid who is too grown up to believe in Santa Claus. I feel a bit silly sitting on daddy's lap and the steering wheel doesn't seem as big as it used to. I know I'm not in control, so what's the point? (Yes, I'm still going to vote...and for McCain if that makes any difference.)
On a different subject all together, has anyone else noticed the different classes of people at different shopping centers? And the clothes they wear? And the cars they drive? And the coffee shops they go to? Starbucks and Suburbans. Soccer moms with designer jeans, doing their daily ritual of getting coffee and going shopping while their two older children are in school and their 2 year old joyfully rides along in child seats and shopping carts. They are attractive and upper middle class. And while this may sound judgemental, many either don't notice you holding the door for them or they look down on you as if your purpose in life is to open doors for them.
Now, that being said, not all of them are like that. I'm merely using a generic stereotype as a segway into an entertaining tale. These upper-middle class women always seem to have enough money to not work during the day, shop, and drink Starbucks. More power to them, but my wife and I are not so silver-spooned. Lately it seems as though our mere existence is nothing more than a fight for survival with the occasional distraction of a good episode of Sons of Anarchy or House. And it feels as though this consumer-friendly, materialistic society only reminds us that we have to work our fingers to the bone and scrape and fight for every morsel we eat and every penny we earn.
I am sitting here twitching with sweaty palms and a racing heart as I write this. Not because of rage, fury, or some kind of sickness. But because today, we stuck it to the man. We made a fool of the whole consumerist way of life (and maybe ourselves a little bit too.) Today, in honor of election day, Starbucks was giving away a free 12 ounce cup of brewed coffee. So on our lunch break, my brother and I went to the one on Eagle and Fairview and we received our free 12 ounce cup of coffee.
Then, we went to the Starbucks on Eagle and McMillian and we received our free 12 ounce cup of coffee. We then made room in the car for our cups of coffee, drove to Albertsons on Eagle and State where we again received our free 12 ounce cup of coffee. We have officially stuck it to Starbucks for aiding and abetting this consumerist society, and I spread my political opinion as I went.
At our last stop, the gal behind the counter in the beautiful, uniformly green apron asked "How would you like your coffee? Cream and sugar?" To which I replied "Just black. Although, I voted for McCain." After realizing how racist this sounded, I added "I didn't not vote for Obama because he's black...I didn't vote for Obama because I hate socialism."
Which brings me to my final ranting point. I heard a heartbreaking story today about a young family struggling to make it in this terrible economy. The husband was in sales and the growing recession forced him to work all sorts of odd jobs to provide for his family as the creditors began calling and his wife picked up a part time job and took care of their baby. While working odd jobs and not having steady work, they applied for government assistance...food stamps. This young, hard working family, struggling just to keep their heads above water, swallowed their pride and applied for food stamps. After all, everyone needs a hand up (not a hand out) every now and then.
Well, the husband, unwilling to let his family sink into poverty found a full time job with decent pay. Not great pay, but decent. Enough to cover most of the bare necessities like the mortgage, utilities, and insurance, but not enough to pay for gas and food. And because this young, determined, hard working young man refused to do nothing and let the government feed his family, he was denied food stamps. He doesn't earn enough to buy gas and groceries, but because he's an old fashioned American who believes a man should do everything he can to provide for his family, he was denied a helping hand.
The whole welfare system is so backwards. If you pay in to these programs through income tax and actually working a job, you don't qualify to receive any of the benefits. However, if you are lazy and unambitious, you are a shoe in. I realize that not everyone on welfare or foodstamps is lazy, but I also personally know of people who have abused the system for years while the people who really need the help are stuck working two and three jobs just to make ends meet.
I really like Pastor John Hagee's thoughts on the matter. He points out that God had a food stamp program. Farmers and those with orchards were not to harvest the corners of their fields or strip the trees of all the fruit. They were to leave some food for the poor and widowed to come in and pick food to provide for their families. John Hagee said "It wasn't welfare. It was work-fare." I firmly believe that this country desperately needs welfare reform, but I believe someone like John Hagee is the guy to do it. Not the socialist Barack Obama.
Oh, the Suburbans...My wife and I are considering getting an older one. Instead of spending $20,000 on a newer vehicle, you can pick up a nice, used Suburban for $5000....heated, leather seats, 3rd row seating, power everything and they are a tank.
The average American casting his ballot, thinking he or she is making a difference is much the same as a child sitting in his daddy's lap, holding the steering wheel and driving the car. Daddy is steering the car, but the child, not knowing any better, has the illusion of being in control.
I fully believe in taking an active part in this big mess called democracy. I agree with the idea of not being allowed to complain about politics if you didn't vote. However, I feel kinda like the kid who is too grown up to believe in Santa Claus. I feel a bit silly sitting on daddy's lap and the steering wheel doesn't seem as big as it used to. I know I'm not in control, so what's the point? (Yes, I'm still going to vote...and for McCain if that makes any difference.)
On a different subject all together, has anyone else noticed the different classes of people at different shopping centers? And the clothes they wear? And the cars they drive? And the coffee shops they go to? Starbucks and Suburbans. Soccer moms with designer jeans, doing their daily ritual of getting coffee and going shopping while their two older children are in school and their 2 year old joyfully rides along in child seats and shopping carts. They are attractive and upper middle class. And while this may sound judgemental, many either don't notice you holding the door for them or they look down on you as if your purpose in life is to open doors for them.
Now, that being said, not all of them are like that. I'm merely using a generic stereotype as a segway into an entertaining tale. These upper-middle class women always seem to have enough money to not work during the day, shop, and drink Starbucks. More power to them, but my wife and I are not so silver-spooned. Lately it seems as though our mere existence is nothing more than a fight for survival with the occasional distraction of a good episode of Sons of Anarchy or House. And it feels as though this consumer-friendly, materialistic society only reminds us that we have to work our fingers to the bone and scrape and fight for every morsel we eat and every penny we earn.
I am sitting here twitching with sweaty palms and a racing heart as I write this. Not because of rage, fury, or some kind of sickness. But because today, we stuck it to the man. We made a fool of the whole consumerist way of life (and maybe ourselves a little bit too.) Today, in honor of election day, Starbucks was giving away a free 12 ounce cup of brewed coffee. So on our lunch break, my brother and I went to the one on Eagle and Fairview and we received our free 12 ounce cup of coffee.
Then, we went to the Starbucks on Eagle and McMillian and we received our free 12 ounce cup of coffee. We then made room in the car for our cups of coffee, drove to Albertsons on Eagle and State where we again received our free 12 ounce cup of coffee. We have officially stuck it to Starbucks for aiding and abetting this consumerist society, and I spread my political opinion as I went.
At our last stop, the gal behind the counter in the beautiful, uniformly green apron asked "How would you like your coffee? Cream and sugar?" To which I replied "Just black. Although, I voted for McCain." After realizing how racist this sounded, I added "I didn't not vote for Obama because he's black...I didn't vote for Obama because I hate socialism."
Which brings me to my final ranting point. I heard a heartbreaking story today about a young family struggling to make it in this terrible economy. The husband was in sales and the growing recession forced him to work all sorts of odd jobs to provide for his family as the creditors began calling and his wife picked up a part time job and took care of their baby. While working odd jobs and not having steady work, they applied for government assistance...food stamps. This young, hard working family, struggling just to keep their heads above water, swallowed their pride and applied for food stamps. After all, everyone needs a hand up (not a hand out) every now and then.
Well, the husband, unwilling to let his family sink into poverty found a full time job with decent pay. Not great pay, but decent. Enough to cover most of the bare necessities like the mortgage, utilities, and insurance, but not enough to pay for gas and food. And because this young, determined, hard working young man refused to do nothing and let the government feed his family, he was denied food stamps. He doesn't earn enough to buy gas and groceries, but because he's an old fashioned American who believes a man should do everything he can to provide for his family, he was denied a helping hand.
The whole welfare system is so backwards. If you pay in to these programs through income tax and actually working a job, you don't qualify to receive any of the benefits. However, if you are lazy and unambitious, you are a shoe in. I realize that not everyone on welfare or foodstamps is lazy, but I also personally know of people who have abused the system for years while the people who really need the help are stuck working two and three jobs just to make ends meet.
I really like Pastor John Hagee's thoughts on the matter. He points out that God had a food stamp program. Farmers and those with orchards were not to harvest the corners of their fields or strip the trees of all the fruit. They were to leave some food for the poor and widowed to come in and pick food to provide for their families. John Hagee said "It wasn't welfare. It was work-fare." I firmly believe that this country desperately needs welfare reform, but I believe someone like John Hagee is the guy to do it. Not the socialist Barack Obama.
Oh, the Suburbans...My wife and I are considering getting an older one. Instead of spending $20,000 on a newer vehicle, you can pick up a nice, used Suburban for $5000....heated, leather seats, 3rd row seating, power everything and they are a tank.
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