Presenting Your Musical Instrument...

"The Flamenco spanish-sounding guitar lay at the bottom of the pile of musical instruments. She took it out and proceeded to dust it up, removing cobwebs that had accumulated as a result of lack of use for the long period of a couple of years. Time waits for no man, she thought as she scrubbed it back into shape. She used a soft sponge so as not to cause a few scratches to the surface of her guitar. She couldn't wait to check the tuning and get each string close to the tuning peg. She couldn't wait to get the index finger of her right hand to strike each string and finally make music again. Music brought life into her atmosphere. Music was a phenomenal turn-around for a picturesque mind-frame. But she needed a teacher again. She needed someone to remind her...

So she took her guitar to the devil. He played a few notes, and she was reminded of a lot of things in her past. She stood up and began to dance, enjoying the comforting soothing sounds of familiarity. She laughed as she remembered the notes he played, she danced and laughed until she could do so no more. She practiced for a couple of weeks until she got tired of the lyrics. Then someone came into her life and introduced her to a new teacher.

There she was again. She took the same guitar and presented it to God. "God, please teach me how to play some new songs," she said. And God received her musical instrument...and He taught her some new things. He turned around the songs from the devil. She danced again, like she had never danced before. "I never knew I could experience anything better than my past," she said. And she knew there was no going back after this..."

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I used to think I was strong. I used to think I could get away with tricks. I used to think I could go a little way, but as far as I didn't go all the way with sin I was good. Little did I know that whoever I presented my guitar to would teach me how to play it and get comfortable, even to the extent of mastery. It's really not about me (or you), and it's really not about your instrument. It's about "who" you present your instrument to.

And so I read this last night, and it was what triggered this post ~ Romans 6:12-14, 16-19 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace...Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?... I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh"

See, never get so caught up in your prowess...never get caught up in your own strength. We are all "weak" when it comes to our flesh, no man is excluded. If you present your musical instrument (your body) to the devil, he will teach you how to play the strings. But if you present your whole body as a musical instrument to God, He will also teach you how to make it a temple. You only dance to the tunes of your teacher, and you play your strings from the lessons you have learnt. Who will you present your strings to? Choose this day...there are two teachers, but you only need one...