The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “FROM THE INSIDE OUT” for Monday, 1 August 2016 with Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States “FROM THE INSIDE OUT” for Monday, 1 August 2016 with Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16 This is why we do not lose courage. Though our outer self is heading for decay, our inner self is being renewed daily. 17 For our light and transient troubles are achieving for us an everlasting glory whose weight is beyond description. 18 We concentrate not on what is seen but on what is not seen, since things seen are temporary, but things not seen are eternal.
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The psalmist wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”[Psalm 51:10 (KJV)]
In the world of musical instruments, the trombone’s warm, rich sound is beyond compare — in my opinion, of course! With proper care, a trombone can last a lifetime. Recently, I acquired a neglected trombone that had developed red rot, a corrosion that eats the brass away from the inside. When the corrosion breaks the surface, the trombone must be discarded because the damage cannot be repaired.
While unaffected by red rot, our human bodies are susceptible to a variety of ailments — and sooner or later, we all discover how vulnerable our bodies are. But the apostle Paul tells us that though our bodies may waste away, our spirits are continually renewed. Through Bible study, daily prayer, and a desire to please God, we cultivate lives of faithfulness and obedience. When we nourish the spirit, we can find eternal life. When we neglect the spirit, it may become “corroded” by the ways of the world.
There is no hope for a corroded trombone. But when our spirit becomes “corroded,” we need not despair. God promises forgiveness if we confess our sins with repentant hearts. God can restore our spirits and renew us. (See 1 John 1:9.)
See a picture Jacob with his trombone, here.
Read more from the author, here."Instruments in God's Service"

My wife and I play in a brass quintet with three other friends. We’ve been playing music together for many years in our church and community, but it has just been in the last few years that we have begun to perform as the Providence Brass Quintet, providing music for worship in area churches. We are all public school educators – some retired, some still active – who share a love of music and a desire to praise God with the musical abilities that he has blessed us with. We want our listeners to enjoy our music, of course! But much more, we want them, through our music, to be drawn closer to God.
I’ve found that using instrumental music in this way can be a problem because there are no lyrics to convey the gospel message. To overcome this obstacle, we use sacred music that’s easily recognized by worshippers. The idea is to catch our listeners’ attention with familiar tunes and then hold it with interesting, fresh, and stirring harmonies in a variety of genres. In a typical worship service, it’s not unusual to hear the PBQ present sacred music in many styles: jazz, classical, Dixieland, contemporary Christian, and more. We often use percussion with our arrangements, and in some of our songs, we’ve been able to incorporate vocalists. We’ve even invited congregations to sing along with us!
With gratitude, I believe that God has blessed each member of the PBQ with a certain measure of musical ability. It’s God's gift to each of us. And we, as a quintet, are committed to using our God-given talents to honor, praise and glorify him through instrumental music. I think of this as our gift to God and hope he likes it.[Jacob Schneider]
The Author: Jacob Schneider (Maryland, USA)
Thought for the Day: God renews my spirit each day.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your grace and loving-kindness. Help us to care for our spirits by spending time daily with you. Amen.
Prayer focus: MUSICIANS

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