Moving to the Beat

Psalm 40:1-8 (NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
³ He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

⁴ Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
who have no confidence in the proud
or in those who worship idols.
⁵ O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
I would never come to the end of them.

⁶ You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
⁷ Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
⁸ I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

Last Night I went to my son’s Middle School Choir concert.  I know what you are thinking… but really they did very good, especially the 7^th and 8^th grade choir.  They sang one song I believe it was a French folk song about windmills that had a very catchy tune.  As I listened, I saw several kids sitting around me begin to move to the music. I think this is why music is such a positive thing in our lives.  It has a way of reaching in and connecting with us, and like these kids, we can get caught up and set in motion.

David, the author of the Psalm above, understood the impact of music in fact he wrote a large percentage of the Psalms (songs) in the book of Psalms.  He saw the reality of allowing God’s spirit to be alive and at work in his life.  Here, he compares it to a new song.  Have you ever had a song that gets into your head and you find yourself singing it over and over again?  David is thanking God for putting this new way of thinking into his head like a song.  He expresses the joy of allowing himself to be set into this new dance, he calls it God’s will.

One of the great things about the life of David is he was a man who took joy in listening to God’s song and letting the song move his life.  But, he also knew the contrast of ignoring God’s song and dancing to his own music.  He understood the need to listen.

At the concert we were not alone.  We were surrounded by people, and not everyone was listening as carefully.  We saw kids that were acting up, and a parent talking on her cell phone, yes during a concert.  But the reality is that listening takes work, and focus, and maybe switching seats so you can hear more clearly.  We live in a noisy world and if we want to hear God’s melody for our life we have to take the time to listen.  Or, like David we will find we are dancing to our own music that can be destructive for our lives. 

So as we prepare for our new ministry, I think the joy that we have found is about listening to the music.  And realizing that the music is moving us, the melody that God is singing into our lives has helped us find our rhythm, and we are not the composer, choreographer, or even the director.  It is just our role to listen intently to let God's music set our feet to motion!  Step by step… walking in obedience!

If you want to find out more about us and our ministry follow the links for "About us" or "World Gospel Outreach" at the top of the page. Remember to keep us in your prayers. If God lays in on your heart to help us financially you can click on the "Donate" Tab at the top or the page, You be redirected to the World Gospel outreach donation site then just select our name from the drop down list and give online.

If you have any questions email me at matt.nevala@wgomission.org

Our Best Gifts

This is what we call in our house “Birthday season,” last weekend we celebrated 5 birthdays:  me, my two older kids(Tyler and Whitney) and 2 uncles.  We had a big party of about 30 people who shared lunch and 3 cakes (Carrot, Popcorn, and Mint Dessert Cakes:  YUM!)  and were given gifts.   This is gathering of family together, we will miss in Honduras.

It was not my youngest son Adam's birthday, so he wanted to give gifts.  He asked if he could make cards for everyone.  In the cards, he put in his gifts.  I found it interesting to see what is of value in my children's eyes and how they need to express that with others.  Adam gave $1 in change to each person in their cards.  My kids do not have lot of money, we do not give a regular allowance.  So in the end he had little change left in his savings box.  Adam felt it was good to give generously.

Second, he took a few moments to write a short note in each card.  We were very surprised when we read the cards he had given out.  Beside his generous gift of a $1, he put something else he valued.  He wrote a short Gospel message in each card, a different message for each person.  These are my paraphrases:  He told my Uncle that Jesus died and rose again so that we could go to heaven with Him.  To his uncle he told that true strength comes only from Jesus. 

So our 6 year old son gave what he valued as his 2 most important things:  to show his love and the love of Jesus to his family!  Sometimes our children humble us, their values and attitudes reflect more then what we can teach them.  This is probably why Jesus in Matthew 18:2-4 challenged us to come to him as little children.  They have less boundaries or self imposed limits to keep them from listening and responding to God.

Mark 8:34-36 (NLT)

 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

If you want to find out more about us and our ministry follow the links for "About us" or "World Gospel Outreach" at the top of the page. Remember to keep us in your prayers. If God lays in on your heart to help us financially you can click on the "Donate" Tab at the top or the page, You be redirected to the World Gospel outreach donation site then just select our name from the drop down list and give online.

If you have any questions email me at matt.nevala@wgomission.org