Musick-al Note # 131
In Matthew 11:16-19 Jesus gives a stirring illustration of the way so many people act in regard to Christianity and their response to Him. He said, “It is like children playing in the market, one group calls to another group saying, “We have played wedding music and you did not join us, and we have done everything including mourning but you have not responded to our pleas at all.” Jesus explained his figure by saying it corresponds to John the Baptist and to Himself, yet the people did not respond.
So often we are just like that generation. Reading the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, a person can observe the many times God has entreated His people to live for Him. In His great love He sent His Son to draw us to Him (John 3:16). We do not respond to the great love of God and is Son, Jesus Christ, nor do we respond to the exceeding great and precious promises given to encourage us (2 Peter 1:4). Nor do we tremble and fear when we hear the awesome warnings that come from the Word of God (2 John 9-11). Are we simply playing with Christianity and making up our rules as we go. We fear neither man or God and we shrug off any thought of opposition (2 Thessalonians 1:6-12) and continue in our complacent way of life. We are pretty well satisfied and yet we have no peace – no real joy and no great goal to which we are striving. Has ‘heaven’ become just a word in our language, an idea that is spoken about in sermons, we do not view it as an eternal home to which we should be going. If we truly did, we would be striving with all our might to go there. We are not fully convinced that sin and disobedience will separate us from an eternity of bliss (Matthew 25:46) and be the cause of an eternity of suffering in the fire of Hell which is prepared for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
God is – and His Word abides forever (Psalms 119:89). We must be about His business both in serving and worshipping Him. He is the savior of all men; without Him we will be lost throughout eternity, having missed the prize for which we thought we might gain by a pretended Christianity.
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 