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Day 27
Seize the Day
By Al Menconi
I
recently re-watched the movie Dead
Poets Society on video. This film
is a challenge to ‘seize the day’.
I keep seeing films with the same theme:
Seize the day! The story-line may change
from movie to movie, but the message
is the same. Follow your dream. Let your
heart be your guide in life. In other
words, seizing the day is doing what
is right in your own eyes.
In the movies, when the hero follows
his heart he is happy and fulfilled.
But is this really true? Is seizing the
day following your heart? I’d like
to seize the day like Robin Williams
did, but what does that mean in real
life?
When the Children of Israel did what
was right in their own eyes (followed
their heart) instead of doing what was
right in God’s sight, they were
punished. We can read about the results
of their misguided thinking in the book
of Judges.
I’ve been thinking about my years
left here on earth. If I live to be as
old as my father when he died, I may
live another twenty years or so. I wasted
the first twenty-five years of my life
living for myself. Since 1971, I’ve
been attempting to live my life to the
glory of God. Not only do I want to seize
the day, I want to seize every minute
for the glory of God. Don’t you?
Ephesians 5:16 says that we are to
make the most of every opportunity because
the days are evil. (It sounds like Paul
was reading this morning’s news.)
The next verse commands us to “not
be foolish, but understand God’s
will for your life.” Making the
most of every opportunity means knowing
God’s will for our life, but what
is His will? Paul explains in the following
three verses.
Verse 18 says we are not to get drunk,
but be filled with the Spirit. (This
is command #1!) Verse 19 tells us to
speak to one another in psalms, hymns,
and spiritual songs singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord. (That's
command #2!) Verse 20 says to give thanks
always for all things. (And that’s
command #3!)
These three commands are the basis
for making the most of every opportunity.
I can begin to seize the day – all
I need to do is follow the directions:
Don’t get drunk, but be filled
with the Spirit. In other words, don’t
allow some outside influence to control
me; instead be controlled from the inside
out. Next, sing from my heart to the
Lord. And finally, give thanks in all
things.
These are three equally important commands,
but where do most Christians put the
emphasis? Typically it’s on not
getting drunk, with little or no reference
on singing in your heart to the Lord
or giving thanks for all things. As Christians,
we have a tendency to dwell on the external.
But each of these commands is of equal
importance to God.
Don’t be seduced into concentrating
only on the externals. Encourage your
heart to sing by listening to music that
honors Him. When you do, you will find
it easier to give thanks for all things.
And in doing this, you are making the
most of every opportunity. Learn to sing
a song in your heart to the Lord and
seize the day for His glory.
Reflection: Do you
think Christians spend more time encouraging
others to be thankful in all things,
or do we spend more time judging and
criticizing others over some external
habit or activity (smoking, drinking,
etc.)? When was the last time you heard
a sermon about singing in our hearts
to the Lord? And yet, singing in your
heart is one of God’s best methods
for making the most of every opportunity.
Response: Make a
short list of some movies, TV programs,
or songs you’ve hear or seen lately
that urge you to “follow your heart” as
the way to find happiness in life. Do
you see a difference between “following
your heart” the way it’s
portrayed in many movies, TV shows, and
songs, and “seizing the day” and
making the most of every opportunity
for Christ? Put some of the differences
down on paper. Share them with your family
or a close friend.
Verse of the Day: Romans 10:14
"How then, can they call on
the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the One
of whom they have not heard? And how
can they hear without someone preaching
to them?" (NIV)
If Christian music can be thought of
as preaching, then Paul is saying people
won’t know whom to believe in unless
they hear it from you. Musically we can
say that if you can’t hear the
message, what good is it?
After rededicating his life to Christ
and taking this Media Challenge for
30 days, a young man asked me if I could
recommend some Christian hardcore music
that was similar to the secular hardcore
music he was giving up. I could have
recommended some Christian hardcore,
but I suggested a diet of contemporary
worship for 30 days. He was coming from
secular music that was tense, angry,
and perverted. He was hoping to find
some Christian music that was tense,
angry, and clean. He was tense and angry.
He didn’t need music that was tense
and angry, no matter the message.
He was like so many young people today
who are inundated with noise and tension.
I really believe that he needed to “be
still and know that I AM God.” Sometimes
before we can “hear” God’s
Word come through Christian music, we
need to reduce the tension and stress
in our life.
I didn’t want this young man
to miss the purpose of Christian music.
It has a higher calling than to merely
entertain us. I’m not saying that
Christian music can’t be loud and
tense, but this particular young man
took my suggestion and listened exclusively
to worship music for 30 days. After 30
days, he tried listening to a Christian
grind core and found that his taste in
music style had changed. His music preference
changed because he found that worship
music nourished his soul in a way that
Christian grind core wasn’t able
to do. If your music doesn’t help
you see life from a biblical perspective,
why not find some that will.
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