ETUDES: ESSENTIAL SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

1 Peter 1:13 

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Everyone needs to be prepared before they can become effective participants in God’s Cycle of Music. A musician should never give a performance until they are ready to go in front of an audience. Preparation is even more essential in order to serve the Composer. If we want to be prepared to participate in God's Cycle of Music, we will need to practice the following spiritual disciplines: baptism, bible study, fellowship, fasting, worship, stewardship, prayer, confession, and communion. Every believer must continue to apply these etudes to their own lives in order to remain strong when they serve the Lord. If a person attempts to participate in God's Cycle of Music without these spiritual disciplines, they will begin to feel disconnected from God. If they refuse to practice these etudes, they will eventually stop participating in God's Cycle of Music all together. Every participant in God's Cycle of Music needs to practice the following spiritual disciplines.

Baptism

Romans 6:3-4 

Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Baptism is the first spiritual discipline that a person needs to practice after they have committed their life unto the Composer. I believe that it is significant to notice that Jesus was baptized at the beginning of His ministry. Baptism was not necessary for His salvation but He wanted to be baptized before He began His mission. Baptism is expected from everyone who desires to participate in God’s Cycle of Music. It is a public confession that identifies us with the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Being baptized is also a public display of our own humility before God and before other individuals. If you are a participant in God's Cycle of Music and you have not been baptized, I encourage you to fulfill this spiritual discipline immediately. Baptism may be one of your greatest opportunities to proclaim your love for the Composer to others. Every servant of the Composer needs to be baptized if they are living a new life and they desire to be used by Him.

Bible Study

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

If we are going to be prepared to serve the Composer, it is essential for us to study the bible. The bible is God’s Holy Word. It allows us to learn about Him and how we can participate in God’s Cycle of Music. It also teaches us how we need to live our lives so that we can honor Him with the things that we do or say. Every participant in God’s Cycle of Music is expected to study the bible throughout their entire lifetime so that they can remain obedient unto God and develop their relationship with the Composer. It is also very important to memorize God’s Word. Read God’s Word every day so that you can grow closer to Him and be able to share the Good News with others when you participate in God’s Cycle of Music.

Fellowship

Matthew 18:19-20 

Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

One of the most neglected spiritual disciplines in our busy world today is fellowship. We need to pray and study the bible on a regular basis with other believers. We need to memorize scripture together and share our concerns with one another so that we can face the trials that life will bring. We also need to be accountable to one another so that we will not get involved in various sinful behaviors. It says in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Ask the Conductor to lead you to someone today. I encourage you to find at least one other individual whom you can have fellowship with if you do not have anyone at this time.

Fasting

Matthew 17:19-21 

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Fasting is another important spiritual discipline that draws us closer to God. When people fast, they go for a period of time without food and sometimes even water in order to seek spiritual nourishment from the Composer. God wants us to take time for prayer and fasting so that we can obtain the spiritual strength that will be necessary in order for us to serve Him. Food is important to everyone because it provides nourishment for our bodies. Without food, we would all die. However, we also need to obtain spiritual nourishment that comes from fasting. Every person who commits their life unto God needs to take time to fast as part of their regular spiritual diet so that they can receive this essential nourishment from the Lord. Fasting also reminds us that we need to be completely dependent upon the Composer.

Worship

Psalm 95:6-7 

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Worship is a very important spiritual discipline. Worship shows reverence, adoration, and honor to God. We are also instructed to bow down before Him. “But a deeper study of worship shows that it is more a thing of the heart and mind than a physical action or a position. Perhaps we can say that worship means having a bowed-down head and heart as we adore and revere our Maker! It is an attitude of total and unconditional surrender to the One we call our Master, our Lord, and our God. Mere words and actions are not enough.”[6] Many people will drift away from God and into activities that are evil because they neglect to worship the Composer. Worship makes us stronger so that we can avoid falling into the traps that Satan will put in front of us.

I believe that the primary intention of every worshiper should be to praise God for who He is. Our worship should not be conditional on the blessings that He offers unto us. God loves us and blesses us in many different ways but this is not the primary reason why we should ever worship Him. We simply need to humble ourselves and worship God because He is worthy of our praise. It is also important to continue to worship Him when life is difficult. Worship is not conditional on our own individual circumstances. Worship needs to be given unto the Composer simply because He is worthy of anything that we can offer unto Him.

Worship is an essential spiritual discipline. Our strength will be renewed when we offer our praise and our adoration unto God. If we want to go out into the world and serve the Lord, it is absolutely essential for us to offer our worship unto Him. We can do this wherever we are; each and every day of our lives. If we will do this, we will become stronger and more prepared to participate in God's Cycle of Music.

Stewardship

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

The Bible has more references about money and what to do with our money than any other topic; including love. Jesus spoke several times about money and how to use it. If we desire to participate in God's Cycle of Music, we will need to understand and practice the spiritual discipline of stewardship.

Stewardship allows us to demonstrate our love to God and our love to our neighbors. It is also a way for us to obey the two most important commandments that were ever written. It says in Mark 12:28-31, “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

We need to understand that everything that we have is from the Lord. It is from Him and for Him. God allows us to use the things that He has given to us in order to help others who are in need. If money is more important to us than being faithful servants to the Composer, we will not be able to become effective witnesses for Him. We need to be willing to offer any of our possessions unto God so that we can truly know in our own hearts that He is our most valuable treasure.

It is also important to mention that we need to be faithful stewards to the places where we are being spiritually fed. The bible says in 1 Timothy 5:17-18, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."

I believe that if we will honor God with the gifts that He has given to us, we will be blessed by Him and be more prepared to serve the Composer when we participate in God’s Cycle of Music.

Prayer

James 5:16 

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Prayer is a very important spiritual discipline. God wants us to pray so that we can have fellowship with Him and express our concerns regarding anything that is on our mind. Until we are living with Him in Heaven, prayer is one of the only ways in which we can have fellowship with Him here on Earth. Prayer is primarily a way for us to develop a closer relationship with God and with other individuals. When we pray, we are telling God about important issues that concern us.

It is important to remember that Jesus prayed while He was here on Earth. Jesus prayed so that He could draw closer to His own Father and to express His concerns regarding many things that were on His heart. If it was important for Jesus to pray, then I believe that we need to take the time to talk to God many times each and every day. All of us need to pray to the Composer so that we can be prepared to serve Him for His honor and glory.

Confession

Psalm 66:17-19

I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

Confessing our sins to God and to one another is a very important spiritual discipline. Every human being is going to sin but God's children possess spiritual power so that they can resist some of the temptations that are in this world. This spiritual power comes from the Holy Spirit who lives inside of them. Christians need to behave differently from individuals who do not know the Composer. The power of the Holy Spirit must make a difference in our lives or else there is not a reason for Him to live inside of us.

When we sin, we should be very troubled and have a restless heart. We really need to understand that God can not tolerate sin. When we sin, we are doing something that is very unpleasing to Him. When this happens, we must be genuinely sorry for this kind of behavior. The bible tells us to confess our sins unto the Lord. If we do not confess our sins unto Him, God will not listen to us. This will cause our fellowship with the Composer to be broken. How can we expect God to be willing to use us if we continue to behave in ways that are contradictory to His divine plan for our lives?

The bible tells us that everyone has sinned. However, there is nothing that anyone has ever done that God is unwilling to forgive. If we claim to be a child of God, we need to examine our hearts and confess any sins that we have ever committed. Then we need to ask the Conductor to help us to live our lives in obedience to the Composer. This is absolutely necessary if we earnestly desire to be allowed to have fellowship with Him and to be able to participate in God's Cycle of Music.

Communion

Luke 22:19-20 

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Everyone who has committed their life unto the Lord must take time to remember Christ's broken body and His shed blood on the cross by participating in the sacrament of communion with other believers. We must continue to remind ourselves over and over again about the precious sacrifice that Christ made for us when He died on the cross. This is also a time for us to offer our gratitude unto Him and to meditate on the important responsibility that we have of telling others about the incredible gift of grace that was offered to us and to everyone who will put their faith in God. The bread also reminds me of the suffering that Christ experienced and the suffering that I must be willing to accept when I participate in God’s Cycle of Music.

Summary

Isaiah 40:28-31 

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Every serious musician understands that they must faithfully practice all of their scales and other important etudes in order to be ready to face the challenges that will occur during the preparation and the performance of their music. Spiritual disciplines are essential etudes that are necessary in order to prepare God’s servants for their own specific performances. I pray that all of us have gained a better understanding of these spiritual disciplines and that we are ready to apply them to our own lives so that we can be prepared to serve the Composer in any way that He desires to use us.