Jump Start # 1019

Romans 12:3 For through the grace given to me, I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

  In our verse today, Paul is describing thinking—there is a right way to think and a wrong way to think. Thinking too much of self is definitely the wrong way. Thinking with sound judgment is the right way to think. The word “think” is repeated three times in this one sentence. Most of our problems stem from stinkin’ thinkin’. We get our feels hurt, our feathers ruffled, our nose out of joint because of the way someone treated us. We get worked up, bent out of shape, and upset because of all the negative thinking we put into something. Thinking the way we ought to isn’t easy. It seems that something is always getting in the way and messing things up in our mind.

The end part of this verse, “a measure of faith,” is what I want to focus on. We are to think with sound judgment as God has allotted…” God has allowed sound judgment. Some seem to have more than others. It may be according to this “Measure of faith.”

The word “measure” is fascinating. It comes from the word, “metron.” That word describe an instrument that is used to measure. A watch measures time. Or, it can describe what was measured, such as an hour is a measurement of time. This word, “metron” is where our “metronome” comes from. Music lovers use and understand the metronome. It measures beats in a movement. It is helpful in keeping time when playing music. A section of music is called a “measure.” Here, we talk about a “measure of faith.”

Borrowing from the music world, this passage lends to the idea that we each have beat or a note. Not one of us plays the entire score by ourselves. There are no solos here. We blend in with others and make a wonderful sound that the composer had in his mind when he wrote the score. Orchestras are a wonderful example of this. The strings begin a piece, soft and gentle. The woodwinds and other stringed instruments come in, adding depth and flavor. Now the harp, some percussion, and soon the entire orchestra is playing together. Blended, matching and sounding beautiful. Each playing their note and drawn together, it makes a wonderful, wonderful sound. The music is rich and stirring. We each have a measure of faith. None of us has all the faith. The strengthen of a congregation is much more than just the faith of the preacher. It’s in the leadership of the shepherds. It’s in the faithfulness of the sweet widows. It’s in the enthusiasm of the young people. It’s in grandmas, and young families, and deacons. Combined, together, blended—each playing their own part, they are strong, powerful and are just what God wanted. They each have a measure of faith.

I witnessed this over the weekend. John Williams was in town conducting many of his famous pieces. You know John Williams—the music to Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Star Wars, ET and many, many other movie sound tracts. Williams has received more Oscar nominations that any other person. We went. Sat in the 8th row, dead center. Amazing. He led the orchestra in playing his music. Piece after piece. Strong. Beautiful. Incredible. One piece, from the movie Lincoln, opens with a solo cello. The first chair cello, sitting just a few inches from John Williams started. Williams turned to him, without waving his baton, the cello started. Everyone was watching. It was the largest crowd in history for this orchestra. The house was packed. The orchestra watched. John Williams watched. The cello just played. Soon the other instruments came in and everyone was playing. Beautiful piece.

That was an amazing moment for me. I can not imagine playing in front of a record audience. I can not imagine playing alone before the rest of the orchestra. Worst, I can not imagine playing in front of the composer. He wrote the piece. He knows just how it is to sound. He knows what he wants. It was beautiful. When the piece ended, the audience gave a rousing applause. John Williams stuck his hand out and shook the hand of the cello player. There was a sign of approval. It touched that cello player. The rest of the night, he rarely looked at the audience. He focused upon John Williams. He was playing his music.

It struck me about God. God’s book, the Bible, is His score. It is His piece. You and I stand before God, and He watches us. He watches not with a frown upon His face. He watches not with a pencil in hand, ready to mark every mistake we make. He watches with enjoyment as we preform what He has written. Our marriages, when following His word, plays out just as He wanted it to. Our families, our friendships, our fellowship, even our worship—it’s just the way He wrote it. Now, when a person, ignores what God says and plays the music to his own liking, it won’t sound like the conductor wants and it is certainly not the way the composer wrote it. When we follow His lead, when we focus upon what He has written, things are beautiful.

Jesus told the man with five talents, “Well done, good and faithful…” He extended His hand, we might say, and shook the hand of the five talent man. That’s the way it is supposed to sound. You played it just the way I wrote it. It was beautiful.

Don’t fight God. Don’t try to improve upon what He has written. Don’t think you can make it better. What God has done is the masterpiece. It is brilliant. It is amazing. You and I make it come alive by playing our notes. What a beautiful sound it makes when we follow the lead of our Master.

Is your marriage just the way God wrote it? Is He looking at you and saying, “that’s just the way I wanted it?” How about your relationship with the kids? How about your faith? How about your fellowship in the congregation? God had a masterpiece in mind when he wrote the Bible. You and I now get to make it come alive by the way we live.

I expect no one enjoyed the Williams concert as much as John Williams did. You could tell. He was having the time of his life. The audience gave him three encores. They would have done more, but he was tired. He loved it. He smiled. He shook the hands of about everyone in the orchestra. He waved and waved to the audience. He knew what it was supposed to be like. It was from his mind and his heart. The orchestra played   the way he wrote it.

I wonder if God is the same. I wonder if God gets the most enjoyment when He sees things working just the way He wrote it. I wonder if He smiles and smiles. From His mind and His heart, we live out what He wrote.

A measure of faith…a note at a time. Focus upon what you are to play. Play it the best that you can. The applause goes to the composure, who wrote such a wonderful, wonderful piece.

Well done, God! I’m thankful I could be a part of something so grand and so wonderful.

Roger