For Love

….singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

(Ephesians 5:19, NKJV)

Music is acknowledged the world over as a powerful medium of communication.  Just by listening to some music playing, our hearts and minds are moved in emotion and at times to imagination.  Many of us choose the music that we listen to depending on what we want to experience, for example, when troubled at heart we tend to seek for calming melodies.  The power of music to influence our emotions and environment cannot be overstated.  In many cultures, different genres of music represent different messages and one who is knowledgeable about the meaning of the song, easily understands the message given.  It is also interesting to note that one does not have to understand the words in a given playlist to enjoy it, we could very well like the melody, the tempo or the instruments played even when we do not understand the language spoken.  This is the power of music, it goes beyond words spoken and permeates the heart. 

As I reflected on how music affects us, I realized that I was referring to what comes to us externally - music appreciated through our ears as we listen, and yes, it is beautiful.  However, our reference verse is calling us to the melodies in our hearts.  Yes, our hearts sing melodies, whether these are verbalized or not, our hearts sing along and the impact of that internal music is no less powerful.  Apostle Paul tells us to continually make melody in our hearts and this melody is to the Lord.  We do not have to be singing aloud, at times the places we are in do not allow for the freedom to sing out loud, but that does not stop us from making joyful melodies to the Lord in our hearts.  Our worship to our God is not to be limited by our environments, after all, He listens to our hearts communication.  Beloved, it is important that our hearts are continually communing with God as we worship Him.

God in creating us, made us for Himself.  We have been created for, by and through His love.  God Himself is love and He created us in His image and likeness, which means we have been created not only in love but also for love.  The purpose of a thing is set by the originator or its creator, in this case, our creator is God and therefore He defines the reason for our creation – to worship Him.  Taking our place then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God as we acknowledge His name (Hebrews 13:15), entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4).  Beloved, we were created for love, loving God and loving others.  Those around us get to know who we are through the love of the Father that we extend to them.  Jesus said that His disciples will be known by their love for one another (John 13:35).  It is no wonder then that Apostle Paul also tells us to speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19).  The idea of making melodies continues not just to God but also to our fellow men, our hearts speaking to one another.  As we love God, we too love His people and cheer them with our communication of joyous melodies.  John the Apostle reminds us that God is love and those who abide in love abide in God (1 John 4:16).  Our disposition to live in love keeps us in God’s will as He abides in us too.  The love in our hearts is the source of our melodies, the source of our blessings and fruitful interactions with others.  May our hearts learn to continually operate from the love of our God.

Thoughts:

What music is your heart making?

How does the love of God influence your interactions?

Are there moments you have lost your melody?