Songs captured in our thoughts replay again though they aren’t audible (unless we happen to sing and hum along). Sometimes I pull up a song so I can hear how it really goes, in case my replay is actually a misplay or because I want to hear it again with fullness.
Growing up we visited my grandparents “up north.” In their attic were many treasures, including a classic machine that played music stored on cylinders. It was always a treat when our family could pull out the novelty from the early 1900’s and hear a piece of history.
In the Book of Psalms, there are many “Songs of Ascent.” They are marked as such, right with the chapter numbers in our Bibles. One example is Psalm 134, which begins,
“A Song of Ascents.
134 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! 2 Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord!”
Songs of ascent were sung by the People of Israel as they went up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. That is my kind of travel! Let’s praise the Lord the whole way!
We’ve been looking into the start of Ephesians. Most recently we’ve seen how God has adopted us, through Christ, because it was His will to do so.
Ephesians 1:6 says, “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”
God’s grace causes us to praise Him! We are blessed by Him, through Him, and to His glory.
Our salvation is completely buried and bursting fourth in His good work!
Here is what a commentator shares about Ephesians 1:6:
“As Israel was chosen to live to his praise (Isa. 43:21), so those who in Christ are received as his people must show forth the Father’s nature of grace and thus glorify him (cf. 5:1; Matt. 5:45; Luke 6:35). ” [1]
In Isaiah 43:21 the Lord says,
“the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”
Luke 6:32-36 tells us of God’s nature, as does all Scripture. God doesn’t just love those easy to love. Luke 6:35-36: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
Our Father loves well. Our job is to be like Him. We are blessed in His Beloved Son.
Do we really need to love our enemies as Luke 6:35 says? How, Lord?
Romans 5:8 reminds me of this sweet truth, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Our Father loves well. His Son, Jesus, fulfilled that love; while we were still His enemies, He gave Himself for us.
There are praises that belong to the Lord alone. By loving our enemies and doing good to those who persecute us, there are praises to the Lord that go forth.
Maybe we don’t have vinyl records, cassettes, CD’s, MP3’s, and other musical memories. We might not even have a way to reply them if we found them; but, we have stories to tell.
If I have become a child of God, then I have the Gospel to share. We, as believers, must remember who we were before and who we are now, by God’s grace. When we remember it is Him we are dependent on, we can’t help but to hum along with the sound of His forgiveness for others.
It’s time to pull out the records and sing His praises as we travel to a heavenly city.
There are stories God placed in our family history, our own history, which need to be told. Not because they tell of our impressive ancestors, but because they are evidence of the Creator who is still in love with His creation. He would do anything for her. In fact, He already did.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for being so boldly in love that You humbled Yourself to death, the very death I deserved. I’m overwhelmed by Your merciful rescue. I’m so sorry that I chose sin instead of You. Thank You for making a way for me. Thank you for giving me new life. I am forever yours. In Your Holy Name, Amen.
In your story, where have you seen God show up?
What are some praises you can share to give glory to the Lord today?
Footnotes:
[1]Foulkes, F. (1989). Ephesians: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 10, p. 57). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
