I was listening to some old rock tunes that captivated my memory, brought back good feelings that I had before. I wanted to listen more, maybe even listen forever, because for a time, that is what it felt like.
If I just listened to music all day, I’d start losing myself in the fanciful lyrics, romantic love, the radical attitudes of a youth discovering what life was about. Listening to the music makes me feel young, in a way that only my mind could imagine, in escape, as my body and reality could not abide.
I could continue to listen, spending a good portion of a day, after day, living the old memories. I’d start absorbing the philosophy of the songs I heard, a philosophy that began to sprout when I was a rambunctious teenager.
Might need to be careful.
On the other side of the spectrum, I grew up in a church that had a very strong music ministry. For a couple of years, I even sang in the church choir whose director was firmly based in the classics. I’d often sing works in Latin. We even had one of the most powerful pipe organs filling a huge sanctuary, played skillfully and masterfully by our staff organist.
One of the most majestic experiences I have had was singing in a 200 person choir as part of the awe inspiring Berlioz Requiem. It is Berlioz’s powerful masterpiece that was originally intended to be for Napoleon Bonaparte, but was ultimately used for an important French general and not the famous Emperor. The massive work requires at least four sections of brass and timpani, located to surround the audience, to emphasize the overwhelming and explosive Day of Wrath (Dies Irae). It can shake a live audience to its emotional core in a way that the 1812 Overture never could.
But does being inspired by historically rich church music save one’s soul? It’s certainly inspirational, but if it is not driving you closer to a vital relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it is merely feeding our sensational and worldly desires.
If I fill my time with either heavy metal or liturgical hymns, am I living a surrendered life to the Lord Jesus Christ?
If I choose to fill my consciousness with music, when would I have time to listen and to better know my Lord?
Whether you understand it or not, you are driven by your belief system. If your believe system is never challenged, you are most likely never to change your current ways of thinking that drives what is most important to you.
You have to prioritize what is important, make a conscious effort and discipline yourself, if you seek to adopt meaningful changes.
We all have 24 hours in a day, you could strive towards some objective that glorifies God (presuming Jesus Christ is your Lord and not only your Savior), or you can merely dwell in the past reliving past worldly glories.
As a Christian, do you have driving purpose in your life that serves God’s purposes and not merely your own?
Regarding the term Christian, In my blog, I don’t use the term “Christian” as often as one may think. I purposely minimize the use of it because the meaning of “Christian” has been so abused, it is virtually meaningless in today’s Western Society in as much as the term church is more often referred to the building rather than the Body of Christ. It has lost its salt. However, in one of the many countries around the world where Christians suffer persecution and martyrdom, serving God comes at a high price, as terrible as in any other time in history.
The concept of “Gospel” cannot be surrendered, however, it must be clarified and emphasized because it is the only means through which we can be saved from the judgement of God on the Dies Irae.
You can spend all day rearranging your notes or you can take concrete steps towards an objective by a consciously dedicating valuable time, such as the time we often afford to listen to music, to respecting the God who desires relationship with you and giving God glory through your life.
IS MUSIC SINFUL?
No, music is not sinful, even the pop treatment of worship music is not sinful ;).
What becomes sinful is when we seek to lose ourselves in music at the cost of building trust, knowledge, and obedience in our relationship with God.
Are your actions and your consuming passions an effort to glorify God and all the good he has done in your life?
There are some songs that I really enjoyed decades ago and still do, performed by legendary musicians. Yet some songs just cannot be dwelled upon because they project and promote immoral, dehumanization, or violent behavior. Many of the messages I absorbed became part of my failed philosophy and ego-centricity. The culmination of these failures ultimately lead me to a point of surrender to Christ.
How has music influenced your philosophy and spiritual walk through life?
Are you becoming more aware of God’s long-suffering presence in your life?
Jesus Christ, who was without sin, paid the price of our sin-filled lives. He took the upon Himself that wrath of God that would otherwise be directed as us. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 (LSB) states: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
For a one minute explanation of the Gospel from the late Pastor John MacArthur, watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCP9UcC7BzE
For a review of the Ten Commandments: https://www.challenyee.com/the-ten-commandments/
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3.7.24