D.L. Moody tells the following story:

I wanted to teach my little boy what faith was some time ago, and so I put him on a table. He was a little fellow two years old. I stood back three or four feet, and said, “Willie, jump.” The little fellow said, “Pa, I’se afraid.” I said, “Willie, I will catch you; just look right at me, and jump”; and the little fellow got all ready to jump, and then looked down again, and says, “I’se afraid.” “Willie, didn’t I tell you I would catch you? Will Pa deceive you? Now, Willie, look me right in the eye, and jump, and I will catch you”; and the little fellow got all ready the third time to jump, but he looked on the floor, and said, “I’se afraid.” “Didn’t I tell you I would catch you?” “Yes.”

At last I said, “Willie, don’t take your eyes off me,” and I held the little fellow’s eyes, and I said, “Now jump; don’t look at the floor”; and he leaped into my arms. Then he said to me, “Let me jump again.” I put him back, and the moment he got on the table he jumped, and after that, when he was on the table, and I was standing five or six feet away, I heard him cry, “Pa, I’se coming,” and had just time to rush and catch him. He seemed to put too much confidence in me. But you cannot put too much confidence in God.

Now faith never looks down; it looks right up. God says, “Trust me,” and God will bring us through all our difficulties, if we will only trust Him. Who will trust Him to-night? Who will have faith in Him to-night? “Whatever he tells you, do it,” is what the mother of Christ said at the wedding; and whatever God speaks to you, do it. If God tells you to run, run. If God says, “Believe,” believe, and you will always be safe in doing just what God tells you to do.

- D.L. Moody

You know what’s worse than listening to than an instrument that’s out of tune? Listening to TWO instruments that are out of tune! Even worse is an orchestra full of them. Although each person is trying to play the same piece of music, it sounds awful. And when you combine everybody together, you get an atrocity!

Now if you were the conductor, what would you do with an orchestra like this? Would you group everybody into pairs, and tell each pair of players to tune their instruments to each other? That wouldn’t work. Each pair would probably settle on a different pitch. What if you just tell everyone to be quiet and stop playing? That’s silly! Then you don’t have any music! You know what they really need? A tuning fork. You, the conductor, must give them a tuning fork.

We Christians are like instruments; the church is the orchestra; and our song is love. When we Christians love one another perfectly, we experience joy, and the world looks and listens in amazement. But guess what!? We’re notorious for being out of tune.

Maybe Erica’s tune is talking about introspective feelings and gushy things. If she gets together with someone who plays the same tune (also likes to talk about those things) then they’ll feel close to each other. They’re “in tune,” and it may feel like love. But it’s not God’s definition of love. And it doesn’t satisfy.

Maybe Jack’s tune is cracking 100 jokes per second and getting pumped on sports. If he gets together with someone who’s also crazy about those things, then they’ll feel close to each other. They’re “in tune,” and it may feel like love. But it’s not God’s definition of love. We will only be fully satisfied when we’re in tune with God the Conductor.

Your tune could be business, or video games, academics, gossip, or American Idol, or Star Wars. Perhaps you know people with these tunes. Their life seems to revolve around these things. But we must tune our instrument to God’s tuning fork…Christ! We watch Him, listen to Him, and imitate Him. The Holy Spirit enables us to do these things.

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (Jn 13:14-15)

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 Jn 3:16)

Jesus shocked the world by playing something so “out of tune” with everyone else. He said, when someone slaps you on one cheek, turn and let them slap you on the other. He said, when someone takes your video game, give them your gaming system as well. Then he went and died for us, to bring us to God. We also are to lay down our lives for one another. That means pouring yourself out for the good of others. Does that sound draining? Well, as we bless others, God promises to bless us in return. “One who waters shall himself be watered,” and:

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will…satisfy your desire (Is. 58:10-11).

Christian, tune yourself to Christ. Close your ears to the bad tunes that are around you: perhaps in your own household, definitely on your TV. Study the person of Christ, observe his ambassadors, and imitate! Christians that are in tune with Christ will be in tune with each other: full of joy, and knit together in love.

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. (Is. xxvi. 4)

Last year, Hurricane Ike buried thousands of acres of oyster reefs in sediment off the coast of Texas. Without these reefs to adhere to, oyster larvae sink to the bottom of the ocean and die. In order to save the oysters, the state dumped more than 18,000 tons of rock into the bay! This gave the oyster larvae a chance to cling to the rock and keep the life cycle going.

Friend, this world is an ocean. You may have great reefs like a nice house, car, lots of money, education, or friends that you cling to. But any reefs you’re clinging to will be buried in the time of trouble. Your nice house and car will mock you when your loved one lies dying on a bed of cancer. And if you have nothing else to cling to you’re going to sink to the bottom and die. But friend, Jesus Christ is a great Rock. He’s been dumped into your ocean, and He stands waiting for you to cling to Him. Before you sink into the black waters of tribulation, take hold of Him. Before you drown in your sins at the judgment, take hold of Jesus Christ. Trust in Him forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (1 Cor. xv. 25)

When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the temple and set it up beside the false god Dagon. What a surprise when, in the morning, they found that Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD! So they put Dagon back in his place. But when they rose the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen down again before the ark. This time his head and both his hands were lying cut off! Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

Friends, if the Lord Jesus has entered into the temple of your heart, He will reign there till he has toppled and broken all your Dagons under His feet. Your nice house, toys, stores of money, education, or friends, the false god of the American Dream: if these rule your heart, they are the LORD’s enemies. And though you set them up again in the morning, He will dash them to pieces till your heart is perfect toward Him. Do not resist the LORD’s ruling in your temple, lest he make a whip of cords to cleanse you! For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet.

Being purged,
Josh