I WILL RISE
The past two months of my life have been filled with sorrow, pain, loss, and joy. I have experienced physical loss, material loss, and at times, the loss of hope. There have been times that I have thought to myself, “Why me God?” “Why are you allowing this to happen to my family?” But then the hand of God reached and down gave me a peace that “passes all understanding.” It has been truly amazing to me to see God work in such obvious and immediate ways. If I had time, I would write down everything that has happened over the last two months. Maybe some day soon I will. Until then, let me just say that God is great, His Church is incredible, and His Comfort is overwhelming. At my Dad’s funeral, I had the privilege of singing the song “I Will Rise” by Chris Tomlin. It is truly the testimony of my life. Read the words, and may they become your testimony also.
There’s a peace I’ve come to know though my heart and flesh may fail.
There’s and anchor for my soul; I can say, “It is Well.”
Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed.
The Victory is won; He is risen from the dead.
And I will rise when He calls my name; No more sorrow, no more pain.
I will rise on eagle’s wings before my God fall on my knees and rise.
There’s a day that’s drawing near when this darkness breaks to light;
And the shadows disappear and my faith shall be my eyes.
Jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed.
The Victory is won; He is risen from the dead.
And I will rise when He calls my name; No more sorrow, no more pain.
I will rise on eagle’s wings before my God fall on my knees and rise.
And I hear the voice of many angels sing, “Worthy is the Lamb.”
And I hear the cry of ev’ry longing heart, “Worthy is the Lamb.”
And I will rise when He calls my name; No more sorrow, no more pain.
I will rise on eagle’s wings before my God fall on my knees and rise.
I WILL RISE
With a grateful heart for you and my Savior,
Aaron Hodges
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
IDOLATRY...WHERE'S YOUR LOVE?
Idolatry...Where Is Your Love?
What is the toughest question you have to answer each day? You may think it is what you will wear, which way you will get to work, where to go for lunch, or what the plan is for the day. Although these are crucial questions, they are not the biggest question we have to answer daily. The biggest question we will answer concerns what we love most – God or something else. Throughout scripture we see that focusing our love on anything above God is simply idolatry.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to India. While I was there, I was allowed to enter many Hindu temples. These temples were filled with statues that were being worshiped. These are often the images we think of when we consider idolatry. These are the type of idols which are written about in Psalm 115:4-8. “But their idols of silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” Idol worship is not only in India, but it is in America too. It may not be the same kind of idolatry, but it may be even more dangerous.
Idols are all around us. Just turn on the television, walk the malls, watch a movie, listen to secular music, look in your closet, look at where you spend the majority of your time and money. As Christian worship leaders we are often like the people described in 2 Kings 17:33: “They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own Gods.” “We fear the Lord externally, doing all the right things on Sunday morning – singing, strumming a guitar, lifting our hands—yet actively serving false gods throughout the week (Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin, p. 22).”
God wants and expects us to love Him above everything else. We should love Him above our possessions, our jobs, our church, our family, and even more than our own life. This doesn’t mean that we should not love these things. It is simply a matter of priority. As long as God comes first, then we are not committing idolatry. So how do you know that He is first in your life? Isaac Watts once wrote:
The Great God values not the service of men, if the heart be not in it: The Lord sees and judges the heart; He has no regard for outward forms of worship, if there be no inward adoration, if no devout affection be employed therein. It is a matter of infinite importance; to have the whole heart engaged steadfastly to God.
(Isaac Watts, Discourses on the Love of God, printed by J. Catnach, 1798, p. 12)
So where is your devotion? Where is my devotion? Is the love of God of “infinite importance” above all? If not, let us turn our lives in the right direction and make it so.
Loving God, loving you, and making beautiful music together,
Aaron Hodges
What is the toughest question you have to answer each day? You may think it is what you will wear, which way you will get to work, where to go for lunch, or what the plan is for the day. Although these are crucial questions, they are not the biggest question we have to answer daily. The biggest question we will answer concerns what we love most – God or something else. Throughout scripture we see that focusing our love on anything above God is simply idolatry.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to India. While I was there, I was allowed to enter many Hindu temples. These temples were filled with statues that were being worshiped. These are often the images we think of when we consider idolatry. These are the type of idols which are written about in Psalm 115:4-8. “But their idols of silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk; nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” Idol worship is not only in India, but it is in America too. It may not be the same kind of idolatry, but it may be even more dangerous.
Idols are all around us. Just turn on the television, walk the malls, watch a movie, listen to secular music, look in your closet, look at where you spend the majority of your time and money. As Christian worship leaders we are often like the people described in 2 Kings 17:33: “They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own Gods.” “We fear the Lord externally, doing all the right things on Sunday morning – singing, strumming a guitar, lifting our hands—yet actively serving false gods throughout the week (Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin, p. 22).”
God wants and expects us to love Him above everything else. We should love Him above our possessions, our jobs, our church, our family, and even more than our own life. This doesn’t mean that we should not love these things. It is simply a matter of priority. As long as God comes first, then we are not committing idolatry. So how do you know that He is first in your life? Isaac Watts once wrote:
The Great God values not the service of men, if the heart be not in it: The Lord sees and judges the heart; He has no regard for outward forms of worship, if there be no inward adoration, if no devout affection be employed therein. It is a matter of infinite importance; to have the whole heart engaged steadfastly to God.
(Isaac Watts, Discourses on the Love of God, printed by J. Catnach, 1798, p. 12)
So where is your devotion? Where is my devotion? Is the love of God of “infinite importance” above all? If not, let us turn our lives in the right direction and make it so.
Loving God, loving you, and making beautiful music together,
Aaron Hodges
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