And they were singing, as it were, a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, and no one was able to learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. Rev. 14:3.
The pastor of a congregation near Alexandra, Virginia, went to a music store to buy a digital piano for the youth chapel at his home church. The pianist of the youth chapel planned to meet him at the store to make sure he got the right piano. Arriving before the pianist did, the pastor noticed the piano he had seen in the magazine the pianist had given him. He decided to go over and test it out on his own, to see how it would sound.
His hands moved over the keys for a bit, but he didn't hear anything special. The pianist had praised the instrument, and the reviewers in the magazine had rated it highly. But the pastor's ear suggested that the piano might be overrated. As he stood there hitting some of the notes, the pianist walked in. Coming over, he began to play. Instantly the sound changed! The pastor blurted out, "Man! That's a good piano!" What made the difference was the masterful hands of the musician.
The difference between the two men that day was one of experience. The pastor had little experience with pianos. He was just making random sounds. The pianist, on the other hand, was not sitting down in front of a piano for the first time. Having played for years, he had taken lessons and spent countless hours practicing without an audience so that when the pews were filled, God would be praised in the music.
Our text says that the 144,000 had to learn the new song. What qualifies them to sing in heaven is what they went through while on the earth. While the song is new, it wasn't thrown together on the spur of the moment--they had been practicing for years already while on earth.
Life today is a rehearsal. We are practicing this song. If the boss is getting on your nerves, remember that it's a rehearsal. You don't have to respond in kind. When you find out that people are talking about you behind your back, you can hold your peace, because it's a rehearsal for that new song. And when something has hurt your feelings, you don't need to strike back--make a rehearsal out of it instead!
When you sing this song in heaven, you will be harmonizing with people who hurt you, people who lashed out at you in their own pain, people who were difficult for you to get along with. If you can't "bury the hatchet" today, how will you sing then? Remember, rehearsal starts now!
Lord, help me to start rehearsing today. As I keep my eyes on You, I can let go the hurts that bind me to this earth and begin learning that new song!
The pastor of a congregation near Alexandra, Virginia, went to a music store to buy a digital piano for the youth chapel at his home church. The pianist of the youth chapel planned to meet him at the store to make sure he got the right piano. Arriving before the pianist did, the pastor noticed the piano he had seen in the magazine the pianist had given him. He decided to go over and test it out on his own, to see how it would sound.
His hands moved over the keys for a bit, but he didn't hear anything special. The pianist had praised the instrument, and the reviewers in the magazine had rated it highly. But the pastor's ear suggested that the piano might be overrated. As he stood there hitting some of the notes, the pianist walked in. Coming over, he began to play. Instantly the sound changed! The pastor blurted out, "Man! That's a good piano!" What made the difference was the masterful hands of the musician.
The difference between the two men that day was one of experience. The pastor had little experience with pianos. He was just making random sounds. The pianist, on the other hand, was not sitting down in front of a piano for the first time. Having played for years, he had taken lessons and spent countless hours practicing without an audience so that when the pews were filled, God would be praised in the music.
Our text says that the 144,000 had to learn the new song. What qualifies them to sing in heaven is what they went through while on the earth. While the song is new, it wasn't thrown together on the spur of the moment--they had been practicing for years already while on earth.
Life today is a rehearsal. We are practicing this song. If the boss is getting on your nerves, remember that it's a rehearsal. You don't have to respond in kind. When you find out that people are talking about you behind your back, you can hold your peace, because it's a rehearsal for that new song. And when something has hurt your feelings, you don't need to strike back--make a rehearsal out of it instead!
When you sing this song in heaven, you will be harmonizing with people who hurt you, people who lashed out at you in their own pain, people who were difficult for you to get along with. If you can't "bury the hatchet" today, how will you sing then? Remember, rehearsal starts now!
Lord, help me to start rehearsing today. As I keep my eyes on You, I can let go the hurts that bind me to this earth and begin learning that new song!
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