But the greatest of these is charity

A love song is any song that puts a romantic spin on something. With this definition, it is amazing how many love songs are available for human consumption. I believe over half the world's songs are love songs. Some are love songs to people, some are love songs crooning to violence and some are love songs appreciating hatred - but they're love songs.

How many songs focus on a single person, or concept, and paint the world through the lens of that person or concept? Most of them do, and I claim that they are all love songs ... and I'll go one step further: they are worship songs.

Worship songs are a beautiful testimony to God, right?

They're supposed to be about ONE thing (in this case God) and they paint the world through that lens, right?

A second way to approach this is the realization that events can affect you, even if you’re not aware of that happening. An obvious example is advertising – most of us experience thousands of forms of advertising a day, and that immersion has an effect upon each of us. From name recognition to brand identification, each of us had been brainwashed into associating certain products with certain emotional responses. Politicians do the same thing with topics. The result of both is impulsive action. This is devastating to ones wallet, ones government, and ones walk with God. Because if we can be so influenced by people we can SEE, how much easier is it for Satan to influence with a thing we can’t see and a thing for which he has been designed to do perfectly – incite worship through music.

Another way to approach this is simply: anything can be worship, if done with the right focus, the right spirit. It is how we can execute our biblical commandment to pray without ceasing. We, as material and finite beings, need a means by which we CAN pray without ceasing. God does not give commands that are impossible to follow – He will never give us more than either we can handle. And if he calls us to do something, He will always provide the resources (though sometimes you’ll have to go to Him in prayer to receive those resources).

My challenge to you:

Take the next song you hear, that you recognize (at least as far as knowing the beat, or possibly the artist) and write down the title and artist. Ask for help in this if necessary. Take this song and do some research – look at who wrote it, what time in their life they wrote it, and the exact wording of the song: what are they conveying?
Then pray about the words and meaning of the song.

Repeat this five times.

One of two things will likely happen – you will be blessed or convicted.

Regardless, be aware that this type of influence is perpetually there and we are called to be prayer warriors – so you can look at this as if Satan is perpetually trying to get at your heart, the seat of your worship, through whatever song and dance routine he can come up with to distract you. And that God is offering a means of protecting ourselves - through prayer.

Balaam and the new wife

I started out noticing Balaam from today's reading. He had been mentioned earlier, but today's reading validated the vilification of Balaam (not spelled Baalam) via Deuteronomy (not spelled Deuteronomony, as my fingers insist) in 23:4-5. It remains a point that bears bringing up multiple times, if only because it is mentioned and referenced at least five times in scripture ... something that doesn't happen nearly as much for the majority of scripture.

Then, on a more sobering note, Deuteronomy 24:5 is interesting:

When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken

Imagine if our society reinforced this - not through litigation, but through societal influence. Imagine if men were required to be free, for a whole year, at the beginning of their marriage. You wouldn't have men running off to war as a newlywed (and likely heavily distracted, wanting to be back home with their new wife) or rushing off to marry as part of a new job opportunity.

You wouldn't have stay-at-home dads earning a living via internet marketing or real estate or anything else that allows someone to be at home making business decisions - you would have men setting aside a significant portion of their early life getting ready to marry, so that the first year of their new married life could focus exclusively on getting to know their new wives better, to give assurance to their new wife that they mean to support them, and it would clearly be a huge blessing to both man and wife.

Our society currently gives tax breaks and minimal societal reinforcement to bind people together in holy matrimony, predominantly reinforcing the following:

• "In the future" people should get married, but not "now"


• Don't prepare for or make big decisions until the deciding is thrust upon you.


• Only short-term decisions matter, so most of your training will come from there.


• Most of the decisions you will have to make won't have long-term consequences.


• And if all else fails, remember these two rules:
  
      Don't get caught
  
      The one who has the gold makes the rules.

These lessons are taught, religiously, through television, radio, movie, and peer, and the result is a lack of spiritual development (or concern), dissonance between planning and execution, a nearly complete lack of personal accountability, and an abstract appreciation for suffering that dehumanizes the entire process.

So what do we do? What can YOU do, as a faithful believer in Jesus?

• Pray
  Pray for legislative bodies to truly seek God's guidance, to have the patience of Job when things look tough, and the wisdom of Solomon when things look easy - so that the laws that are put into practice are literally wise, instead of relatively wise. Pray also daily, connecting with God through regular and intentional connection with Him.


• Read
  Read scripture for examples of how people in the faith survived under tyrannical rule and what acts they took. We don't live in a monarchy, but the tools are still effective. In fact, if people were to put into practice the premises in scripture, the world could change overnight.


• Act
  Witness to those around you, whether in your place of work or on street corner, or your peers. Witness through actively engaging them. Be an amazing witness through the living and doing of the Word and witness through bearing the fruit of faith.


• Love
  Of all the things Jesus is known for the one that is most written about, and least understood, is the complete and utter love He had for everyone around him - try modeling your whole life after His standard and see your life change as a result.

If you would, please comment on this post, sharing in exactly what ways you've consciously chosen to change (no matter how small) and a running observation of how those changes have borne fruit. In other words, in addition to the above four points, I challenge you to give me a praise report.