With God…
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” Matthew 19:26
As I was reading one of the few daily devotionals I receive via email, I was reminded of the following story:
Wishing to encourage her young son's progress at the piano, a mother bought tickets to a performance by Ignace Paderewski. When the night arrived, the two found their seats near the front of the concert hall. The boy stared in wide-eyed amazement at the majestic grand piano on the stage. The mother began talking to a friend sitting nearby and failed to notice her son slip out of his seat. As the house lights dimmed and the spotlight came up on the piano, the woman gasped as she saw her son on the piano bench, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Before the woman could retrieve her son, the famous concert pianist appeared on stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. "Don't quit - keep playing," he whispered to the boy. Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Then with his right arm, he reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obligato. Together, the old master and the young novice mesmerized the crowd.
Have you ever started something knowing you did not have what it took to complete the task, yet when the Lord took over amazing things happened? I feel that way everyday. The Lord gives us talent. He gives us gifts. He gives us passion. But without the power of the Holy Spirit working through us, they are all for nothing. My abilities are as good as “Twinkle, Twinkle”, but when the Lord steps in to take over, a symphony occurs. It is our job to do our very best in preparation, but it is God’s job to produce the results. That is the very reason Wednesday night rehearsals are so vital. In order for us to give our best so that the Lord can use us, we must be prepared. As we move into the next few months of Summer, let’s commit ourselves to being at choir and orchestra rehearsal every Wednesday so that we can offer our best worship each Sunday!
I also wanted to share with you some of the statements I received following the song we did last Sunday. I am amazed how God can use us to minister each week through song. One person stopped me to say that they were touched by “My Life is in your Hands.” And another person stopped and said that while we were singing that song, she got a text from a family member telling her that a relative had just had his leg blown off by a bomb in Afghanistan. She wanted me to tell you all thank you for reminding her that God is in control. See what happens when we allow God to use us? Symphonies occur!
Aaron Hodges
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Storms will come but....
Storms will come but….
As I write this article this morning, the tornado sirens are sounding. The storms are on the way. Children are being huddled in the church basement. Adults are frantic. Phone calls are being made to check on families. Office work is being done on any table that can be found. It is organized chaos! (Well, it’s really not that bad! LOL)
I grew up in Oklahoma where tornados and storms of this type were and still are very common. I remember many a night being dragged in my sleep to the interior bathroom where we would all crowd into the tub and cover up with a mattress because the tornado was going right over our house. I have some good memories of some great storms, and then I have some extremely frightening memories of storms. I tend to get a little anxious when I hear the sirens go off because of all those memories. My wife probably thinks I am overly cautious and annoying.
What is it in your life that makes you anxious and scared? Is it the weather? Is it your job? Is it parenting? Is it your finances? Is it your marriage? Is it conflict? Is it retirement? Is it your health?
Storms in life will come but remember Psalm 27:
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Trusting in the Lord,
Aaron
As I write this article this morning, the tornado sirens are sounding. The storms are on the way. Children are being huddled in the church basement. Adults are frantic. Phone calls are being made to check on families. Office work is being done on any table that can be found. It is organized chaos! (Well, it’s really not that bad! LOL)
I grew up in Oklahoma where tornados and storms of this type were and still are very common. I remember many a night being dragged in my sleep to the interior bathroom where we would all crowd into the tub and cover up with a mattress because the tornado was going right over our house. I have some good memories of some great storms, and then I have some extremely frightening memories of storms. I tend to get a little anxious when I hear the sirens go off because of all those memories. My wife probably thinks I am overly cautious and annoying.
What is it in your life that makes you anxious and scared? Is it the weather? Is it your job? Is it parenting? Is it your finances? Is it your marriage? Is it conflict? Is it retirement? Is it your health?
Storms in life will come but remember Psalm 27:
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Trusting in the Lord,
Aaron
What is that in your hand?
What is that in your hand?
One of my favorite Old Testament stories is found in Exodus 3-4. There we find the story of God’s call on Moses. I find it amazing what all God did to get Moses to a place where he could be used. We find God’s hand all over Moses from the beginning of his life. From a poor Egyptian Hebrew child to the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and back to a sheep herding fugitive. God was preparing Moses to be used in a very unique way. When Moses encountered God in the desert in Horeb in a burning (yet not burning) bush, Moses started with his excuses: “Who am I?” “What shall I tell them?” “I am slow of speech and tongue.” “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” After all that God had already brought Moses through in his life, he was still reluctant to follow God. Exodus 4:1-3 states the following: Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Having been there with my own children, I can just imagine what God was thinking at this point. He was probably thinking, “When will Moses get it through his thick skull?”, when God had already answered this question in chapter 3. By this time, God figured that Moses needed an object lesson. The Lord answered Moses and said, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replied, “a staff.” Then the Lord gives a very strange request for him to throw down his rod. This rod, being a very important tool in the sheep herding trade, would soon be used to do miracles. Before that could happen, Moses had to release it and allow God to have it.
What is that in your hand? Wow, what a question. I started thinking about this in my own personal life, and I was convicted big time. What is it that I have been holding onto that has kept me from being who God wants me to be? I don’t have room in this article to tell you everything that I hold onto. Now, don’t start getting pious on me. We all have things that are keeping us from being used by God. Here are a few of the things that I hold in my hands. First, I hold control. Often, I do not give up control to God, thinking I can handle it myself. I hold my family. I know what is best for my family. I don’t need God’s help. I hold my abilities. I have enough talent to get through life on my own. I hold on to my finances. If I give God total control of my finances, He might ask me to do something I don’t want to do. I can handle my life by myself, right? WRONG! When Moses let God have his rod, it became the STAFF OF GOD.
Therefore, if I give God control, my family, my ability, and my finances, then He can and will use them in ways that I could never imagine. I promise you that when Moses was a sheep herding, Egyptian fugitive, he never imagined that he would become the vessel that God used to set His people free.
So what do you hold in your hands today?
To what or to whom are you bound?
Are you willing to give it to God right now?
Give it up; let it go, throw it down. Throw it down!
Aaron
One of my favorite Old Testament stories is found in Exodus 3-4. There we find the story of God’s call on Moses. I find it amazing what all God did to get Moses to a place where he could be used. We find God’s hand all over Moses from the beginning of his life. From a poor Egyptian Hebrew child to the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and back to a sheep herding fugitive. God was preparing Moses to be used in a very unique way. When Moses encountered God in the desert in Horeb in a burning (yet not burning) bush, Moses started with his excuses: “Who am I?” “What shall I tell them?” “I am slow of speech and tongue.” “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” After all that God had already brought Moses through in his life, he was still reluctant to follow God. Exodus 4:1-3 states the following: Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” Having been there with my own children, I can just imagine what God was thinking at this point. He was probably thinking, “When will Moses get it through his thick skull?”, when God had already answered this question in chapter 3. By this time, God figured that Moses needed an object lesson. The Lord answered Moses and said, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replied, “a staff.” Then the Lord gives a very strange request for him to throw down his rod. This rod, being a very important tool in the sheep herding trade, would soon be used to do miracles. Before that could happen, Moses had to release it and allow God to have it.
What is that in your hand? Wow, what a question. I started thinking about this in my own personal life, and I was convicted big time. What is it that I have been holding onto that has kept me from being who God wants me to be? I don’t have room in this article to tell you everything that I hold onto. Now, don’t start getting pious on me. We all have things that are keeping us from being used by God. Here are a few of the things that I hold in my hands. First, I hold control. Often, I do not give up control to God, thinking I can handle it myself. I hold my family. I know what is best for my family. I don’t need God’s help. I hold my abilities. I have enough talent to get through life on my own. I hold on to my finances. If I give God total control of my finances, He might ask me to do something I don’t want to do. I can handle my life by myself, right? WRONG! When Moses let God have his rod, it became the STAFF OF GOD.
Therefore, if I give God control, my family, my ability, and my finances, then He can and will use them in ways that I could never imagine. I promise you that when Moses was a sheep herding, Egyptian fugitive, he never imagined that he would become the vessel that God used to set His people free.
So what do you hold in your hands today?
To what or to whom are you bound?
Are you willing to give it to God right now?
Give it up; let it go, throw it down. Throw it down!
Aaron
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)