I am currently listening to Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2 in F. It's not uncommon for me to listen to classical music; in fact, I grew up in a home where classical music was the norm. I have my mother to thank for that. She would often listen to music from history's greatest composers as she cooked dinner or did other housework. I have found that I do the same!
While I personally prefer Chopin and Beethoven, I read a quote from Johann Sebastian Bach this week that has been on my mind. He said, "Music's only purpose should be the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit." Bach was never interested in fame or fortune, he simply wanted to show his devotion to God and bring joy to those around him. That idea resonated with me, and throughout the week I have considered how I personally glorify God and lift those around me.
For me, I glorify God through my actions both public and private. I share what I believe with others, I sing hymns for Him, and I thank Him through prayer for the many blessings He has given me. I bring joy to those around me through encouragement and laughter. I want people to know that I support their dreams and their opportunity to choose their own path in life. I enjoy bringing a smile to the face of a friend.
I think that each of us glorifies God and provides relief to human spirits in individual ways. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to reflect on this in my own life, and I am going to start being more aware of how others do this in theirs.
I think that this quote by Bach is very interesting. If we look at society today, all people want is fame and glory. All they want is people to like their music and to like them. It is funny to see that people write music to get people to like them. However, if they wrote music to glorify God they would not have to worry about pleasing others. They would already be pleasing the one person who does love and support them.
ReplyDeleteI think today people need to remember that fame and glory of men is not all that great. I would much rather glory in my God than have people trying to be like me. All I care about is what God thinks of me, which is good enough for me. I wish others could see that. I wish they could see that they do not need approval from others on who they are, should be, and will be.
I think a similar senario to music wouuld be money. Dallin H. Oaks said, "the root of all evil is not money, but the love of money." I think that when we only desire money, or fame. We are not pleasing or glorifying our God.
We must know and do what God would have us do. If we do our lives will be happy and renewed. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I believe you are a great example of glorifying God and doing what He would have you do. Thanks for being a great example to me.