DEC 13

Colossians 3:16
Memorise Colossians 3:16
“Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…”

We sing hymns, spiritual songs and sometimes Psalms in our worship services, fellowship meetings and other gatherings. This is what Saint Augustine, in his commentary on Psalm 148, wrote on the singing of such hymns and spiritual songs:

Do you know what a hymn is?
It is singing to the praise of God. If you praise God and do not sing, you utter no hymn.
If you sing and not praise God, you utter no hymn.

Thus when we sing in worship, we are offering “the sacrifice of praise to God… that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15). Is our heart attuned in that way? Or do we sing in a perfunctional manner or just as a matter of routine? As redeemed people, we must come before the Lord with great thanksgiving and sing praises to Him out of the fullness of our grateful hearts. Yes, we will “Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious” (Psalm 66:2).

In Colossians 3:16, we learn that the Word of God is intricately linked to our music and our songs. The Word of God must first dwell richly in us before we can have the fruit for scriptural music for our singing. The Word of God is the beginning and the ending of all our musical activities, including singing. Singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord is an activity that all blood bought saints is commanded to practice.

Dear teen, do you know that there is a battle for godly music? Contemporary Christian music or CCM is gaining widespread popularity in many churches. As you study its history, roots and lifestyle of the performers, you will realise that they do not practice biblical separation in their music. They openly and proudly use any type of music in the service of the Lord, including rock and pop music in the worship of the flesh. They borrow from the world’s sensual rhythms, and try to use such ungodly music to attract the crowds. The end result is not the praise or glory of God, but the adoration of man.

Thought: Even before man existed, “the morning stars sang together” (Job 38:7) and one day there will also be singing around the throne of the Lamb (Revelation 5:9).
Prayer: Lord, grant me a deeper understanding of how I should offer the sacrifice of my lips and sing with my whole heart of the wondrous mighty acts of God.