REASON TO SING
Scripture for the day: Colossians 3:1-2 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Thought for the day: The “tulianum” or public prison was the worst type of incarceration available to those convicted of a crime in Rome, usually reserved for the lowest class of people or those simply awaiting execution. They had three distinct sections: (1) the communiora, where the prisoner had light and fresh air; (2) the inteniora, shut off by iron gates with strong bars and locks; and (3) the tulianum, or dungeon. The dungeon bred pestilences. They were cold, damp, filthy, smelly, and dimly lit. Excrement piled up; the odor was stifling. For one to enter such a dungeon, ropes were tied under his arms, and he was lowered through a hole cut in the rock. There were no doors or windows and absolutely no possibility of escape. The only time fresh air came into the dungeon was when the door to the hole was opened either to let down a prisoner or take one out for trial, or to remove a dead body. The place was infested with rats, roaches and all other sorts of vermin.*
Have you got even a small picture of what Paul experienced on more than one occasion? Now let’s picture this same Paul, along with his friend Silas, sitting in the middle of one of these prisons, locked in chains with their feet and hands securely in stocks, singing for all they’re worth,
“Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever!
He sought me, and He bought me, with His redeeming love.
He loved me ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him.
He plunged me to victory, beneath the cleansing flood!”
That may sound strange to you, incomprehensible even, but the point is this – Paul’s entire life was so surrendered to God that no amount of discomfort could rob him of his joy and contentment regardless of his circumstances. And why was this true? Because he had completely ‘set his sights on things above.’ And we are called to follow that example. We as children of God are to make Jesus Christ our only source of real happiness, for we have caught a glimpse of a better world to come because of the reality of life with Him now. We have sold all we have for that “one pearl of great price.” (Matthew 13:46) There is no looking back, longing for the “good old days” when we were sold into sin.
Can you imagine a young bride returning from the honeymoon with her new husband, telling him he would have to plan on eating alone on Friday evening because she has made a date with an old boyfriend? How would you feel if you were in his place? Yet that is what so many who profess Christ do in actuality. Coming to Christ is like getting married (no wonder the church is called the bride of Christ); all former loves are set aside, abandoned, given up for the sake of this one true love. All old affections are blotted out for the sake of Jesus Christ who is worthy of our undivided love. And because of that love and the relationship that comes with it, there is reason to sing, regardless of circumstances. Because we have a place prepared for us, we can wait patiently and expectantly for the Bridegroom to return for his bride.
Now go take on your world. - Bill