Making Music in One Accord
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:5-6
Christopher Parkening plays the guitar like few people in this world are able. Whether on stage with the New York Philharmonic or in front of an audience of three, he can bring out the power and mystery behind those six strings. Not one note is out of place, out of sync. Whether strummed together or plucked separately, the strings all work in unison to create the desired melody or harmony.
Musical accord on the guitar doesn’t happen by chance. Only certain strings pressed down in particular combinations will produce the desired sound. Whether the guitar plays “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” or a Spanish dance, its beauty is heard when the strings are in proper relation to one another.
This is what it means to be in one accord.
I wonder if Paul had beautiful music in mind when he prayed that the Romans would have a spirit of unity and with one mouth glorify God. Did he picture the church in Rome as being in concert on stage before the world? Did he hear in his mind the impact of that church on history? We know now that the music of the Roman church did catch on and changed the world. The Christians endured years of suffering until the fourth century, when the Roman Empire at last acknowledged the harmony of the gospel. It abandoned its cultic practices. It paved the way for missionaries instead of persecuting them. And the world has not been the same since.
You and I have the responsibility to use our gifts and live in accordance with God’s will. And the promise of God is that living together in such a way will make for beautiful music and lasting impact.
Tune my heart today, Lord, to your will. Then play my life in accordance with others who love you and desire to sing your praises.
Pressing On: How to Lean on Christ through Suffering
After more than 55 years living with quadriplegia and chronic pain, Joni Eareckson Tada knows what it means to “press on” through suffering. Joni encourages you to join her in living out Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
