Solo

This morning my college had a final chapel service.  Instead of a challenge, we were given the tremendous privilege of hearing the ministry team's program before they leave to travel the south/mid-west this summer. I had been hearing the practices every Tuesday evening for several months now. I had heard the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This morning it was beautiful.  This morning God was glorified. The songs were tastefully arranged in an order that flowed delightfully from one piece to the next. The topics of the individual pieces were designed to focus on the majesty of God.

Soli Deo gloria.

For the glory of God alone.

Tonight, my college put on a fine arts concert. A thought-provoking drama interwoven with music about a holocaust survivor.  The violinist made wood sing, and the monologue style drama was put to splendid effect.

Soli Deo gloria.

For the glory of God alone.

He is the only One worthy of praise for either musical event.

That might seem kinda nervy for me to say that. Those musicians put in a lot of practice.  They worked hard, and yet I say that God alone gets the glory for the produce of their effort?

Yep.

This is how I look at it:

He gave life to the violinist.
He gave her the ability to think and learn.
He provided a way for her take violin lessons
He gave her the tenacity to continue to work hard throughout the years
He provided a way for her to go to college to learn even more
He gave her the memory capacity to be able to memorize a monologue that was over an hour long in addition to memorizing several violin pieces.
He provided the facility for the performance to take place in.

And that's nowhere near all the providence that He habitually continually provides. Plus all the things that happened in the composer's life, the orchestra who accompanied the violinist, every single individual who was in the choir, in the life of the person who was controlling the lights.... do you see my point?

I live my life because of Him, but really everything is because of Him. He is in complete control of all our life circumstances, and He brings all things to His own glory.

Psalm 34
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

DISCLAIMER: This is not to say that you shouldn't encourage people by complimenting them and telling them that they did a good job! We need to encourage people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.

God alone is worthy of praise. This is a song one of my college professors wrote:

For Your justice soars like mountains
And Your love flows as the sea
And like waves your mercy rises
And rushes over me.
Who can fully grasp Your wisdom?
Who can fathom all your grace?
But my heart responds in worship:
I sing Your praise
I sing Your praise
For You alone are God.

Because of Him,
Missa