Thanks Be To God!

Today was one of those mornings that seemed as if God was saying "Just want to remind you who is in charge here, and Who is supposed to get the glory out of this."  Let me explain.  It started out as a perfectly normal Sunday morning---until the music started.  When the praise team was practicing it seemed like the instruments just weren't lining up right, tunewise.  Then the choir practiced for our song and it seemed like we were stumbling around.  The pianist was Very nervous because she had not gotten to practice the choir song very much due to being away. During service, pastor tried to show us a video.....quit in the middle; during singing the slides got mixed up so we in the congregation lost our words for an entire verse; and again, there was some trouble with instruments and voices lining up both in tune and rhythm.  Seemed like one thing after another!  I was a little fearful how the choir number would sound after all this!  But we went up and "sang with abandon" and from all accounts it sounded good (Thanks be to God!).  Now, depending on your perspective, you could say that these were all attempts by Satan to distract us from worship---and they very well could have been.  But I was reminded that all the talents we have come from God.  Every one.  And He expects us to use them for His Glory.  That is the only reason they were given to us---to bring glory to our Creator.  The thing is, sometimes we forget.  And then we go off down the garden path thinking that we are something special, and our abilities come from our own efforts. Oh we are so grand!  That's when it happens.  A morning like this morning when God cares about us enough to let our notes go sour or off kilter in order to remind us Who really is the Grand one.   Now I'm not saying that anyone was forgetting this morning.  I don't know that.  Thankfully that is God's job and not mine!  =)  But whether we have forgotten or not (yet!), the reminder is a good one: God is the One who is "all that", and all our talents are gifts meant to bring Him praise. 

"Thanks be to God, Creator of it all."