A great choir director has sharp, keen ears to hear when one person is out of tune and needs help to hear the harmony.  The Great Director will move the out-of-tune person to a place where they can learn to hear with one who has achieved the skill to sing in harmony. After a time of learning, maturing through listening, the once out-of-tune, out of sync and rhythm member comes back into harmony with the rest of the choir.  “Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus! 

The Great Director smiles as believing members of His choir are filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, brimming over with His Hope, as they sing together in harmony in the rhythm of His Grace!

Dear Friends, as we read Paul’s words to the church at Rome, we are encouraged with his words that ring true today as we dive deeper in our own understanding.  Paul reminds us of God’s original intent for His created choir.  Godly harmony is where life and hope come together.  God loves ALL, is in ALL and above ALL.  God is our Great Director.  God loves all of us, insiders and outsiders, so much that He sent His Son to save us.  Jesus, is the root of Jesse, through the line of David, who saved us from our sins.  Jesus is our Hope for today, in the coming year, and forever!

“There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse,
    breaking through the earth and growing tree tall,
Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!”

“Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!”

Lord, this is my prayer for all of us…

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

“All God’s creatures got a place in the choir…”  (Song from my past…)

ROMANS—OUR CARE AND CALLING

Romans 15:1-13, The Message

^1-2 Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?”

^3-6 That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!

^7-13 So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Jesus, staying true to God’s purposes, reached out in a special way to the Jewish insiders so that the old ancestral promises would come true for them. As a result, the non-Jewish outsiders have been able to experience mercy and to show appreciation to God. Just think of all the Scriptures that will come true in what we do! For instance:

Then I’ll join outsiders in a hymn-sing;
I’ll sing to your name!

And this one:

Outsiders and insiders, rejoice together!

And again:

People of all nations, celebrate God!
All colors and races, give hearty praise!

And Isaiah’s word:

There’s the root of our ancestor Jesse,
    breaking through the earth and growing tree tall,
Tall enough for everyone everywhere to see and take hope!

Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

TAKE NOTE—Be like Jesus

Followers of Jesus follow what Jesus said and did, as directed by His Father, the Great Director.  We also must follow the lead of the Director.

Jesus said,

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  Matthew 11:28-30, The Message

Yes and Amen!