Category: Christian Living

  • Sing Praises

    This morning I was reading in the Psalms. Psalms 120-134 is a group of 15 psalms, traditionally sung by the Jews when going to the temple, the Shir HaMa’alot (literally the songs of going up or the songs of ascent). I picture a crowd of worshippers climbing the road to Jerusalem, singing together, like a group of Christians might sing familiar hymns a cappella.

    There is something moving when a group of believers gathers and praises corporately. I remember a Promise Keepers rally decades ago; I can’t remember who spoke or what they spoke on, but I do remember tens of thousands of men, their voices united, singing praises to the Lord. What a moment.

    The Christian faith is both highly personal and communal. Each of us has a personal relationship with Jesus, but that relationship is designed to function in a larger body of believers. A solo Christian, outside the body, is not functioning as God designed us. 

    We serve one another, bless one another, love one another. We grow together, hold each other accountable and learn to extend and receive forgiveness and grace. We worship together, sing together and encourage each other.

    When the congregation sings a familiar tune, and every voice is lifted in praise, it moves us, and I am certain it praises the Lord. Now, certainly not all of us have great singing voices. My voice was once compared to a bear in work boots walking through a gravel pit. I don’t know exactly what that sounds like, but I know it wasn’t complimentary.

    The point isn’t how well you sing. It’s about opening your hearts and voices to the one who loved us beyond measure and deserves all honor, glory and praise. That’s what the Jewish people would do on the way up to Jerusalem.

    The Word encourages us to sing praises to God.

    Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Psalm 95:1 ESV

    And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. Ephesians 5:18-19 ESV

    Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 ESV

    To borrow a line from a children’s song, ‘Don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing.” God knows your voice; He gave it to you, and He delights in hearing your song.

    Sing His praises.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    I’ve been struck by the power of believers lifting their voices together in praise. Our voices don’t have to be beautiful for God to delight in them.

    TAKEAWAY

    A solo Christian, cut off from other believers, isn’t functioning the way God designed you to.

    Your voice doesn’t need to sound good for God to delight in it.

    Scripture commands you to address other believers in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

    You might also enjoy

    Why the church needs YOU

    Celebrate your identity in Christ

    God sings over you

    Birdsong – thoughts on the complexity of nature

  • A Snowy Day

    White Garments and the Righteousness of Christ

    The air was fresh and crisp, and the late morning temperature was barely below freezing. The bright morning sun set the snow aflame with sparkling diamonds of light. The effect was brilliant but blinding, and I needed sunglasses. Seeing the brilliant white snow made it easy to see why snow blindness might be an issue.

    The Bible often uses the color white as a metaphor for purity.

    We see an example of that on the Mount of Transfiguration.

    And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Mark 9:2-4 ESV

    In writing to the church in Sardis, John spoke of the Lord’s promise of white garments.

    Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. Revelation 3:4-5 ESV

    The idea of new garments for old, putting on a new nature, shows up in a beautiful Old Testament prophetic passage. Admittedly it doesn’t mention “white,” but we see a delightful picture of the transformation.

    Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.  And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”  And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by. Zechariah 3:1-5 ESV

    My dear friends, that is what happens to you and me as believers. When we turn to Christ, we exchange our filthy rags of sin for the covering of His righteousness. In glory, when we are free of any taint or possibility of sin and fully righteous, we will have our own white garments. We will be entirely righteous and whole and able to serve, worship and fellowship fully with the Lord of our salvation.

    How glorious will that be? I look forward to seeing all of you clothed in robes of white, so brilliant it makes the eyes hurt.

    None of us deserve to be covered in the imputed righteousness of Christ, yet in His perfect love and mercy, He makes it possible. It is a gift we cannot earn, but we must humbly accept it in repentant faith.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    The blinding brightness of sunlit snow reminded me how Scripture pictures purity in dazzling white garments. Through Christ, we are offered that same white covering as a gift, not something we can earn.

    TAKEAWAY

    You don’t have to clean yourself up before coming to Christ. Like Joshua the high priest, He removes what’s filthy and clothes you in what’s pure.

    The white garments Revelation promises the redeemed picture complete, unstained righteousness, not a reward for good behavior.

    This righteousness isn’t something you earn. It’s a gift you receive by turning to Christ in repentant faith.

    Check out these posts

    Why everyone knows the truth, even if they deny it

    Celebrate your identity in Christ

    On trial for your life

    On the day – some thoughts on Christ