Just a Choir Devotion…

In case you didn’t know, I’m blessed not only to serve as student pastor for our church but also as worship director. We’ve started something new during our weekly rehearsals. Yep! You guessed it! Devotions! Below is one I shared with them on September 15th. Hope you enjoy and become challenged.

A system is as strong as its weakest link. All it takes to break a chain is one weak link. In the business world, that one weak link is very often a person. And the reason they’re the weak link is not because they’re a bad person, it’s because they’re not suited for the role they’re in.

QUESTION: When considering the Kingdom of God and our role in the church do we validate our role as a support or a weakness?

Everything we do must be a support to the Kingdom of God. Perhaps you ask the question: “How do we avoid being a weak link?”

I present two things that I sincerely feel are necessary for defining ourselves as a support and not a weakness.

#1 – PRAYER

We must do our part in supporting this ministry through prayer. Scripture encourages us to always: “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thes 5:17) When we push aside the things in our lives to “PAUSE” and pray, we allow ourselves to become strong in the Lord.

There is nothing greater than being a man or woman of prayer. I think we would all agree that we could afford to pray more.

I found an interesting quote on this topic and I share it with us: “By the time the average Christian gets his temperature up to normal, everybody thinks he has a fever!” 

The best way to avoid this from happening to us is to maintain a daily walk with God.

I digress … We had a local minister challenge the church to “GROW UP” spiritually. Prayer will cause us to grow leaps and bounds in our relationship with God and as well with people.

If we are all the time fussing and complaining about what we don’t like and how things should be this way and that way … MERCY! We’ll need to be re-baptized and re-filled with the Holy Ghost!

Truth is Jesus said I’d rather you be hot or cold than be luke-warm! Prayer will cause you to be on FIRE when singing praises unto God and leading others in worship.

#2 – EXERCISE

RELAX … I am not talking about physical exercise! I am sincerely referring to the motivation of your faith!

Faith without works is DEAD!

When we are learning songs and are taking time to rehearse we must begin exercising our faith as we think in advance the wondrous things that God is going to do through us when we minister through worship.

It only takes one negative opinion or one negative spirit to through things off guard. I would hate to know that I’m the reason our worship set didn’t connect with the congregation ultimately causing us to fail when we should have succeeded.

Have faith in what you’re singing about.

Have faith that God will use us to set the platform for the miraculous.

Have faith that while singing about the Healer, somebody gets just that!

When we join TOGETHER and exercise our faith, anything is possible and anything can happen! It just takes a little work put into action!

When faith is present in our rehearsals and in our services, there is no telling what God can and will do through us. We just have to exercise our faith!

We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us!

There you have it Ladies and Gentlemen. Just a Choir Devotion. I truly feel this goes beyond the responsibility of a music department. It digs deeper and demands a corresponding action. We must unite together in everything we do for the Kingdom. Our job is to be a support not a hinderance. PRAY for the power of the Holy Ghost to fall during every service. EXERCISE your faith for the miraculous. Trust me … God will show up, show off and show out.

The Saga of the Rotten House

I enjoying finding good stories. Funny or serious. In this case, cute. Yes, I just said cute. Nonetheless has a cool point.

She spent the first day packing her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things. On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining room table by candle-light, put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of spring water. When she had finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimp shells dipped in caviar into the hollow of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.When the husband returned with his new girlfriend, all was bliss for the first few days. Then slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything. Cleaning, mopping, and airing the place out. Vents were checked for dead rodents and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Pest control specialists were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which they had to move out for a few days and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting.Nothing worked. People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit. Finally, they could not take the stench any longer and decided to move. A month later, even though they had cut their price in half, they still could not find a buyer for their stinky house. Word got out to the local Realtors and eventually even the local Realtors refused to take their calls. Finally, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place. The ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for getting the house back.Knowing his ex-wife had no idea how bad the smell was, he agreed on a price that was about 1/10th of what the house had been worth, but only if she were to sign the papers that very day. She agreed and within the hour his lawyers delivered the paperwork. A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home……… And to spite the ex-wife, they even took the curtain rods!!!!!

Seeing the humor above, I did find a great challenge that I wish to express in this post.

The writer of 1 Corinthians brings a powerful question to our lives and is one that should never be taken lightly. It clearly says: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (c6 v19)

Could it be that we as Apostolic people often times focus so much on the outward appearance that we’ve neglected the most important issue? That being the state of the heart? Don’t get me wrong. Holiness Standards are vital and extremely imperative. But what happens when you’ve dressed the perfect style and you’ve walked the with the right strut all the while forgetting what is most important in your life? How do you justify the neglect and the irresponsibility that you’ve allowed to corrupt your soul? When did it become okay to allow sin to be “SET INSIDE” the depths of your soul? Who gave permission to live a double standard? Why did you allow the story of your life to be “The Saga of the Rotten House?”

The answer comes to surface when we investigate the evidence of a dead church. A people who used to pray without ceasing. A man or woman who has failed to push the plate away and seek God. What this generation needs more than ever before is a fresh anointing and convicting power to weaken their knees and bring them back to the cross.

Excuse my horrible grammar but I stand challenged as a man. Forget the positions I hold and the sermons I’ve preached. At the end of the day, do I find the verdict to be guilty as charged or will I hear the Lord say, “Well done thy good and faithful servant?” Truth demands a verdict. It will always require the very best and very honest.

Romans 12:1 says: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

There is coming a day when the Lord will call home those who have been purchased with His blood. What will He find inside YOUR house? What will your BODY express to the One who gave it all for you and for me?