6th Week of Easter
He will glorify me. (John 16:14)
Most everyone has a favorite song, but did you ever think of what goes into writing a song? Often it takes more than one person. An idea starts in someone’s head, maybe words or just a melody. But often someone else is needed to complete that idea. And then there are the musicians who provide the accompaniment, not to mention the producer who puts together the final version. Gilbert and Sullivan, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber—these were songwriting teams, not lone superstars.
By analogy, we can think of Jesus in the same way. He has a beautiful, inspiring message that he wants to bring us. But that message doesn’t come from him alone. He works hand in hand with the Father, who is the author of salvation, and the Holy Spirit, who is the breath of God’s love and grace. Jesus is the “Word,” but the one who plays the tune is the Holy Spirit. He works in our hearts to guide us to “all truth,” to the astounding truth that God loves us and has an eternal plan for our lives (John 16:13).
But the Holy Spirit doesn’t play the same melody over and over again. He plays endless variations on a theme. He thrills us with a song about the power of Jesus’ resurrection. He soothes us with a song of mercy. He makes us want to dance to his song of salvation. His love song is fresh and new every day, so we never get tired of hearing it!
Great music has the power to move hearts, and no music can do that as much as the Spirit’s music. The more we listen to his song, the more we are shaped by it and the more we come to resemble Jesus. It’s not because we are being compelled to act differently; it’s because the Father’s love melts our “stony hearts”—and then we too have a “new song” to sing! (Ezekiel 36:26; Psalm 40:4). So today, try turning off the world’s noise for a few minutes, and listen for what the Spirit is saying, or singing, inside you. But don’t let it stop there. Go ahead, and join the chorus!
“Holy Spirit, open my heart to hear your music. I give you my cares and anxieties, my past, present, and future. Come, and renew in me the joy of my salvation!”
Acts 17:15, 22–18:1; Psalm 148:1-2, 11-14
Daily Marriage Tip for May 28, 2014:
“To listen carefully to one another, especially those who disagree with me, and to consider others’ feelings and needs rather than insist on having my own way.” (#3, Family Pledge of Nonviolence) Could your family say “Yes” to this? World peace begins at home.