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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for September 21, 2010
“Have an Eye to God in Every Word You Sing”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
How long has it been since you just belted out a song to the Lord?
Maybe it was in a church service, or maybe it was in your car listening to the radio, but I’m talking about the kind of singing that rises from within and flows out to God.
Not everyone is a singer, I realize that. In your case, you may not sing at all, except in church to go along with the crowd. Maybe you don’t like the sound of your voice, or maybe you’ve been told that you’re not a good singer. My advice is, sing to the Lord! Let the song rise from your soul to your Creator.
Or maybe you are a singer. Maybe you sing all the time. Maybe you lead the singing at church; but how long has it been since you sang to the Lord, where you really felt connected to Him?
I have an old church hymnal and inside it has “Directions for Singing.” Have you ever been in church and received directions for singing? Well this page was written by John Wesley in 1761 and contained seven points.
The last point caught my attention the most. It says, “Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing.”
It is so easy to just sing along mindlessly and miss the message of the song, especially if you’ve been going to church for a while.
Wesley went on to say “…see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually…”
Music is usually a beautiful sound. There are harmonies and melodies. There is rhythm and unity. Music can have a powerful affect on us, but Wesley warns us to not be carried away with the sound, but that our heart should be offered to God continually during the song.
Is that what you do when you are singing? Are you offering your heart to God?
Most church services feature some kind of singing, led by some kind of song leader. If you are the song leader, yes, you need to get the song right, and more importantly you need to be offering your own heart to God during the song.
If you are in the congregation, you need to fix your mind on the Lord during the singing. It’s easy to be distracted, but you miss a great blessing if you don’t sing to the Lord yourself.
Of course, singing to the Lord is not confined to church services. Some of my most powerful moments of singing to the Lord have occurred when I’m alone in the car. If you know your Bible stories you’ll recall that Paul and Silas sang to the Lord…in jail.
James 5:13 says, “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”
Ephesians 5:19 says to “sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”
Colossians 3:16 says to “sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”
Of course the Psalm writers mention singing a lot, saying things like, “I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High,” and “I will sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with me,” and “I will sing praise unto Thy name forever.”
They also include admonitions to sing, such as, “Sing the glory of His name,” and “Sing praises to our King,” and “Come before His presence with singing,” and “It is good to sing praises unto our God.”
Several times it says to “sing a new song unto the Lord.” The good news is, there are plenty of new songs to sing, and we play some of the best right here on Wave 94.
Plus, you are invited to write your own songs to the Lord. What better way to make a special connection with God than to sing your own personal song to Him?
Did you know that King Solomon wrote over a thousand songs? Did you know that King David actually had a music department for the house of the Lord?
Music is an important part of being human. As you can see by the sale of iPods and the ruckus over illegal downloading, music is still one of the most popular things on earth. It’s popular, and it’s powerful.
So keep this in mind the next time you find yourself mindlessly singing church songs. Instead of just going through the motions, get engaged. Sing with some gusto and pay attention to the words.
And above all, like John Wesley said, “sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing…and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually…”
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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