J. Gresham Machen

"Liberalism appeals to man's will while Christianity announces ... a gracious act of God." J. Gresham Machen

2 Timothy 4:2-4 Jeremiah 6:30-31

Sailing Through the Sea of Music

In Philippians 4:8 we read, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Many times when people are listening to music, they are not really evaluating the message that it is conveying. The music we chose to listen to affects us though. We must be careful to use music correctly. It is a tool, and we should use it to enjoy its beauty, and to worship God.

If the lyrics of the song could not be described by Philippians 4:8, we should not be listening to it. Even if we think that the melody is pretty, and we just want to enjoy the musical aspect of the song. If the lyrics are not good, we should not be listening to the song. The questions we should ask ourselves are,"What is the message of this song?", "Is this glorifying to God?", and "Does this direct my attention towards or away from God?" God gave us music. We should praise God for and through it.

Respect and Honor

Those Who Would Not Submit
I read Numbers 15:16-16:40 yesterday. In this passage some of the Israelites did not think Moses should be in authority over them. They would not obey the one God appointed, so Korah, Dathan, and Abirim along with their families and possessions where swallowed by the earth! This passage clearly shows that God wants us to submit to the authority He places in our lives. He appointed them to guide, direct, and protect us. When we honor them we honor God. When we disobey them and dishonor them, we are disobeying and dishonoring God.

The Command to Submit:

This passage encouraged me to honor those who have authority over me. This does not mean we must feel respect for those who rule over us. There are leaders that I try to honor, but I do not respect their lives. We can be submissive to our authorities even if we do not have respect for how they live and act. There is no excuse for not honoring those in authority over us because we are commanded by God to submit to them. 1 Peter 2:13-14 says, ^"Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and thepraise of those who do right." No matter what you think about the people who have authority over you, you must submit to them for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake.