Man Looks at Outward Appearance, the Lord Looks at the Heart
Paul wrote to the early church: “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things…” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28)
This is a good thing to remember– what we were when God called us. To Him is all the glory for where we now stand. It’s been His mercy, life and grace that have created ‘new creatures’ of us. No one can boast. We simply follow where He leads.
As I consider a 2 DVD set I recently watched regarding the roots of contemporary Christian music, the “choosing the weak” has been shown here. The early musicians featured on the DVDs were not all professionals. Many had terrific early personal setbacks to overcome. There was much rejection because ‘Jesus music’ embraced electric instruments and drums. The appearance of the musicians was often despised. (long hair and jeans) One young man was black and unschooled in music. God gave him the gift of piano playing and writing songs.
God was able to use all of these musicians to write and perform ‘new songs’– to make a new sound that connected everyday music with the church. The musicians had one important thing in common– a committed, wholehearted love for Jesus. They sang songs of praise, beyond ‘about’ Him, rather, ‘to’ Him, songs of thanksgiving, and songs of joy. Many of these ‘pioneers’ of Christian music were teens, young adults, newly born again. Their eyes and hearts were on Jesus alone and the change He brought to their lives –the joy of salvation comes through the songs.
The music touched the unsaved youth of the 1960′s and 70′s in the U.S.A. Festivals and concerts drew tens of thousands. They were baptized by the hundreds in the nearby ocean.(California coast) One musician made the comment that if we keep ourselves close to Jesus, He takes care of the outflow to others.
Two of the featured musicians on the DVD had abundant success prior to their salvation. They were skilled and had contracts and fame with the ‘world’. Annie Herring, now of “The Second Chapter of Acts”, realized that her decision was Jesus or everything else. She chose Jesus and He has blessed the band over the years. The other successful musician had already come to the conclusion that fame and fortune was his road to ruin. He set much aside and opened his heart to Jesus. He joyfully concluded that “Jesus is the answer to all the problems in society!”
Roots are interesting to consider. The Lord inspired many songs to these who devoted their all to praising Him at a time when there was virtually no money to be made in Christian Music. It was a labor of love for these musicians. Their lyrics touched hearts, proclaimed the Resurrection, ‘born again’, the Gospel and personal themes. The musicians were even called to perform in many other countries.
There were hundreds of thousands of young people who made decisions for Jesus in this ‘birth’ of contemporary Christian music.
Decades later, the musicians of that time still speak of their love of Jesus that has grown stronger as the years have passed. “Then, we looked ahead in faith. Now, all we sang about has proven itself over and over in our lives.” “I’m going to do this as long as I can” another ‘pioneer’ commented.
A refreshing treasure, filled with songs that are still alive with the joy of salvation and the simple message of Jesus, the 2DVD / 2CD set is fittingly titled: “First Love”.
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