“How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

It's been many years since I introduced regular praise songs into our services at Trade Lake Baptist Church. I also introduced drums. Being a drummer and the pastor provided an in road that confused some of the older saints. I remember one deaconess confronting me saying “Over my dead body will we have drums in church”. I say this seriously. Before the year was done I officiated at her funeral. Such strong claims hindering God’s work is serious business.

 It is very difficult because the very nature of being an artist in art, literature, or music involves self-expression. It is a challenge to separate yourself from the presentation. Only God knows the heart, but for him it is a matter of prayer. People pay all sorts of compliments.  The devil continually tempts us in prideful manners, but he said, “What I seek to do is play for God and with the heart that I want to do my very best, not for the praise of man, but for His praise. If there are 10 people or 10,000 people this is a worship experience. It isn’t important how many attend, but that the Lord is in the audience.”

Friends of each of us could take that thought and whatever we do, we do it as unto the Lord. When I preach, I must preach to the best of my abilities, because it is to the Lord. If you sing it should be the best that you can do as a gift to God. Years later I still play the drums for some of our church services. I privately pray that it is for God’s glory (and to keep the team and congregation together on beat.)

If you play an instrument, seek to do your best because God has given you talent. If you use it for your own glory, you've lost the whole purpose for which He gave it to you. If you cook, or sew, or farm, or fix vehicles do what you do unto the Lord. Dedicate your service to Him.

If God gave you a musical talent you should train it and work for excellence. But remember God gave you your talent in the first place. 

King David called the thousands of musicians together to praise and honor God, not himself as king, not to honor the musicians, but to inspire worship and move people to praise to the One who created the universe, Musicians are to guide an emotional uplifting, to enrich worship, to encourage prayer and to say as John the Baptist did, “He must increase and I must decrease,” The essence of art is self-expression; the essence of ministry is self-crucifixion.

Prayer:   Oh Lord God, today I sing Psalm 147:1 with David, “How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”  Praise to the Lord, The Almighty, The King of creation.   Create in me a right heart oh God that my worship may come before You in a purity of spirit;.