Music To Live By

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 96:1).

Music has three important parts.

1. Connection — Music comes in various types and styles because God made us all uniquely different, with different likes and dislikes. He also made us body, soul, and spirit, and music is the only thing that connects all three. Music makes us want to move our bodies, it inspires and motivates our mind-will-emotions (soul), and it lifts our spirits beyond our normal reality into the higher realms.

2. Association — Things get more complicated, however, because music gets associated with our experience of it. Where did we first hear it? Who did we hear it with? Are the musicians wholesome or gruesome? Maybe the music is associated with an event, or a movie, or a person. For example, Pomp and Circumstance is wonderful music that connects, but it is associated with graduation ceremonies from schools and universities.

3. Vocalization — Music with vocalizations affects us at the highest level, and that is why the words matter, why content is vital. The Bible is a musical book, and most of it is vocalized. If the words are bad, the music becomes bad as well. God is concerned with the content of your music. He will hold you accountable for what you listen to, so you must learn to discern.

God loves music, and you should too.

But, beware, there is more to music than just your personal preferences.