THE MESSAGE ABOUT CHRIST - PART 3

SUNDAY 06 NOVEMBER 2022

When we take the message about Christ seriously, His image will be reflected on us. We shall absorb and develop His spiritual perception, become influenced by His mind and be continually moulded into the image of His own essence. This is because, in Christ lies hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3 NLT). And the entire message about Christ is the eternal and essential Word of God designed for our spiritual growth.

Reference: Colossians 3:16 New Living Translation (NLT) "Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts."

The message about Christ cannot change, does not change and cannot be disproved because it is replete with spiritual and eternal truths. It is the message that grants us divine wisdom, knowledge, righteousness, peace, prosperity, joy, success, holiness, godliness, abundance, increase, deliverance, transformation and purity. It demonstrates in us, the willingness and ability to yield to the authority of the Word. The message is not corrupted in any way but rather it is wholly pure and peaceable and it empowers us to live for Christ, thereby abstaining from the desires of sinful nature. It exposes evil and the activities of the wicked world because the message is all about the righteousness of God in display.

The words of Christ inform and direct us in the use of our Christian liberty in a proper manner, with respect to serving God in Spirit and in truth and it keeps us well-grounded in faith. However, it is not only hearing and digesting the Word that will strengthen your faith, singing psalms, hymns and staying joyful with spiritual songs will sustain your faith and take you to another level of relationship with God. With a thankful heart, you can sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God. Notably, it didn't say, with a heavy heart, sorrowful heart or bitter heart, meaning that a heart of gratitude is of paramount importance during our worship times.

Why should we cultivate and sustain a thankful heart? This is because the Bible says, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT). In other words, regardless of any circumstance, God wants His children to stay thankful and grateful. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs at will. What is Psalms? Psalms contain sacred songs, confessions and deliverance prayers. Most of the wordings serve as prayerful thanks and are tuned as a powerful way to confess our faith and trust in the Lord. They are found in the Bible with about 150 chapters. What is hymns? They are songs or poems of praise with choruses, often sung or recited both in the Jewish community and every other Christian worship. They are not just musically satisfying, they are harmonized music that lifts our spirit up and keeps our faith alive.

Spiritual songs are not worldly songs; they are songs of the Spirit because at the time they were composed, they were deeply inspired by the Spirit. They have the power to focus our hearts on God, bless and edify us in Christ, no matter who we are. They can influence your mind, body and spirit in such a way that you'll be filled with or taken over by the Spirit while being saturated with their melody. Simply put, spiritual songs serve as one of the most effective spiritual exercises which God has designed for us to align our spirit with His Spirit.

Receiving the Word and blending it with songs of thanksgiving make the difference in our walk with God and can undo a low-degree mindset, especially when you are mindful of the lyrical nature of the songs, as you flow with the Spirit. Therefore, master the act of singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God with a thankful heart. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Psalms 59:16; Isaiah 52:9; Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; Acts 16:25.

Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, with a thankful heart and a shout of joy, I honour you for the opportunity you've given me to follow your Gospel plan through the Word. I thank you for Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs which cause my Spirit to swell with deep appreciation for your goodness and mercy upon my life. My faith in you and commitment to your Word deepen daily, under the influence of your Spirit and I'm conditioned to bear your testimony in my world through the power of worship and gratitude, in Jesus' Name, Amen!