I sing in a choir.
At this point I usually make a quip about using the term loosely. However on this occasion I’ll skip it because there’s something in the singing that’s inspired this post.
Of late we’ve had a director who has challenged us. In so doing he alerted and reminded me of the importance of discipline. Having sung in choirs before, I’ve been more than used to relying on a fairly good ear and a fairly decent voice to just cruise in choir settings. Never really seeing the need to strain myself, because I had a fairly decent grasp of the basics.
As a result of that attitude I’ve not pushed myself to progress when it’s come to singing. The director’s challenge, has been refreshing. The task to take the singing seriously and commit ourselves to a daily discipline of vocal exercises to be able to sting at our maximum was delivered in a compelling fashion that didn’t make the matter a chore, but a necessity.
I trust you can see the parallel.
I believe my relationship with Christ is certainly not based on my ability to pray, fast, study scripture, etc. That is to say – it’s not my efforts that is the source of the relationship. It’s actually because of the source why I’m so taken with the disciplines. That source is the sight of the character of God in Jesus Christ being full of grace and truth. As a result the grace propels me to serve and love, and the truth allows me never to think it’s about my strength doing it.
Yet the response then should be as natural as when someone doing a good deed for you, the response is to offer gratitude. Giving eternal life, eternal joy and eternal peace should have the natural response of a lifetime’s gratitude that is not content cruising with the fairly decent grasp of who Jesus was last year, five years ago or whatever.
In that way I can see the benefit of discipline in helping to experience a truly enriching and fruitful relationship with Jesus Christ. Thus I don’t want to be cruising and taking life in Christ for granted. As I keep learning life in Christ consumes all of life.
What are the consequences of that?
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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