Entertainment

Christian Music=Soul Food

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Al Menconi
President, Al Menconi Ministries
December 11, 2000

When I was a little boy, I couldn't swallow my vitamins. My mother tried all kinds of things to get me to take them. I tried chewing them.. Did you ever try to chew a vitamin pill? Yuk! At one point, my mother wrapped the pills in bits of marshmallow. That worked for awhile.

Her most interesting idea was to use strawberry jam. She'd smash the vitamin pill into powder and mix it up with strawberry jam. To this day I can't eat strawberry jam without tasting a little bit of those vitamin pills.

God has vitamins for us to swallow, too. He asks us to take "spiritual vitamins" like discipline, honesty, responsibility, and obedience to help us grow strong and experience a happy, fulfilled life. Everyone needs to take their vitamins, but for many of us, they don't go down easily.

However, I've found that if you mix these spiritual vitamins with the "strawberry jam" of Christian music, they go down much easier. That's why God tells us to sing "...psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord'' (Eph. 5:19; Col 3:16). That's the strawberry jam.

This idea of spiritual food is not an original one. Spiritual food is mentioned frequently in the Bible. In the New Testament we find teachings about living water, the bread of life, and spiritual milk for babes, as well as spiritual meat for the mature Christian. Just as we feed our bodies with physical food, we're directed to feed our spirits with spiritual food.

I've been suggesting for some time now that Christian music should be a part of every believer's spiritual diet. That's because true Christian music is Scripture or scriptural principles set to a tune. We know that, ''All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness'' (2 Tim.3:16). We also know that the Word of God is bread and meat for our spirits. Shouldn't Christian music, which truly reflects the Word of God also be meat for our spirits? That's why I refer to Christian music as spiritual steak.

Today's music basically offers two kinds of spiritual food: twinkies and steak. We could stuff ourselves with twinkies every meal and still die of starvation! That's because there's no nutritional value in a twinkie—just sugar and air! We need healthier food to stay alive. In the same way, musical twinkies can lead to spiritual malnutrition. Our spirits will die of starvation if we only feed ourselves on empty electronic junk food. In order to stay healthy, we must have more spiritual steak and less junk food. And in so far as Christian music feeds our spirit, we can compare it to steak.

Christian music has another function. It prepares our hearts to receive the tough, uncompromising honesty of the Word. That's when the music becomes strawberry jam. As we make melody in our hearts, we open up to praising Him (hymns), encouraging one another (psalms), and being a testimony to the world (spiritual songs). The sweet taste of Christian music mentioned in Ephesians 5:19 prepares us to accept the spiritual pills we find in the following verses.

PILL #1
Ephesians 5:20 commands us to give thanks in all things. Did you ever try to give thanks in all things? Now that's a tough pill to swallow. But it will go down easier if you coat it with the jam of making melody in your heart to the Lord. Think about it. If you are letting Scripture "sing" in your heart when a difficult situation comes along, you'll be more inclined to say "thanks" instead of "why?"

Do you know someone who is bitter, angry, critical? You can bet that they have been unthankful. There was a time in their life when they needed to take God at His word and give thanks by faith. But they didn't. Churches have different names for these people out of fellowship: carnal, backsliders, etc. No matter what you call them, their problems often started by refusing to thank God for a situation they didn't understand.

God isn't cruel. He wants you to be happy. But the only way to do that is by letting God have control of your life and thanking Him for all things—whether you understand them or not. That's not easy. But it's easier if you're coating your heart in the strawberry jam of singing your thanks to the Lord.

PILL #2
Ephesians 5:21 tells us to be submissive one to another. This does not mean just wives to husbands, but to everyone and to each other. When the Bible says be submissive, it means to count others' rights as more important than your own. That can really be a bitter pill to swallow, can't it?

An example of how to incorporate this principle in our lives is given in verse 22. Wives are commanded to be submissive to their husbands as unto the Lord. In other words, wives are to treat their husbands with the same respect they would give to Jesus. Since verse 21 has commanded all of us to be submissive to one another, we are all to treat each other with the same respect we would give to Jesus.

Would you treat your partner with more respect if he/she were Jesus? It's not easy, but think about it. Believe me, it is a lot easier to be submissive one to another when your heart is coated with the strawberry jam of Christian music.

PILL #3
Ephesians 5:25 says, "Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it." The world says love is sex or lust, so get all you can. The Bible describes real love in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave...." God says, "I love you so much, I'm going to give you my Son, because that is the only way you are going to know peace. This is the example I want you to follow. This is the best example of love I can offer you.'' It's about giving, which is the exact opposite of what the world says.

Do you love your husband/wife so much that you are willing to give sacrificially to meet each other's needs? That's tough to swallow isn't it? When the whole world is obsessed with getting, we are to be obsessed with giving. It's not easy, but it is easier when you are singing a spiritual song in your heart to the Lord.

Do you really want to learn how to love someone? Let the word of God dwell in you richly (Col. 3:16). And a good way to learn His word is to sing it. If McDonald's and other advertisers can get you to remember their messages by adding a tune to it, Christians should also be able to remember God's message by adding a tune to Scripture or scriptural principles.

PILL #4
Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children obey your parents." Kids often reply, "But you don't know my parents!'' I don't have to. God does. And God says to obey your parents in all things. Kids say, "My parents don't understand me.' That may be true, but do those kids try to understand their parents? Young people don't always stop to think about what a sacrifice parents make to raise a family. Many only think about what they want.

I used to conduct a youth seminar about parent/child relationships called "How to Wrap Your Parents Around Your Finger." Do you know how that can be done? Find out what your parents need and fulfill that need. That's the biblical definition of love. Children obey your parents. I know it's not easy to do, but making melody in your heart to the Lord makes it easier.

Parents, do you want your children to be loving, respectful and obedient to you? Teach them to sing in their hearts to the Lord. You may say that your kids are too young. They're never too young! There is good, solid Christian music available for all ages. And you'll like it too. I love my daughters' music, and we enjoy listening to it together. If you really want your children to understand your love for Jesus Christ, share the Christian music you love with them.

In closing...
I urge you to change your diet. Start consuming the spiritual food that will keep your spiritual life healthy. You can use a little spiritual jam to make the hard stuff easier to swallow. It's going to take work and effort. To walk daily with the Lord means to give thanks in all things and to be obedient to your superiors. Singing Christian music in your heart will help you do these things.