Preoccupation with the temporal instead of devotion to the eternal

Reading over my past few posts, I feel I have given a pretty clear idea of how filled up my life is with music at present. What may not be so obvious, however, is how much I want to glorify God throughout all my life. It's not that surprising to me, for I'm quite a shy person about the subjects that are closest to my heart, but it's an essential part of my life that I'd hate to be oblivious to those that stumble across my mumblings.

Well, I feel the need to bring up the subject of glorifying God on here because I feel it's an area that I've let slip by while I've been swamped with assignments these past few weeks. I don't mean to convey that I forgot my commitments to church or anything, but I became so focused on getting my work done that I forgot that God should be placed first in my life no matter what I am doing. I found myself so tired at night that my Bible readings would get shorter and shorter, my prayers would frequently end in my slumber, and I would awake wondering what university work I needed to get done that day. In short, university was quickly become the focus of my life Monday-Saturday.

I'm grieved to discover how easily I neglected the most important Person in my entire life, the One Who is infinitely more impressive than the greatest composer in history, infinitely more powerful than my scariest lecturer. I would give Him fleeting praise as I thanked Him for my food, taking His gifts as a matter of course, and then hurry on my way to class or my homework.

I think I only came to realize how much I'd neglected my relationship with Him when I sat down to read my Bible before bed. Suddenly I found I couldn't recall anything of the past week that related to my walk with God, not a single prayer that I had earnestly brought before Him, a time that I'd set aside to thank Him personally for blessings I'd appreciated, not even an occasion where I'd grieved for my sin and asked for His forgiveness. It made me realise how focused I'd become on *me*. My concerns were enveloping me to the extent where I even hesitated to make time for my family.

Now that I've noticed how selfish I've been I'm determined to change. Having said that, a lot of my time today has been spent on the couch nutting away at an assignment that's due in a few days. But I'm trying. I really do want to have God in the centre of my doings because He is the most important Person in my life, One deserving of all my praise, all my life. Isaac Watts' hymn expresses it so well:

1.  When I survey the wondrous cross   

 on which the Prince of Glory died; 

   my richest gain I count but loss,  

  and pour contempt on all my pride.  

 2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,   

 save in the death of Christ, my God;   

 all the vain things that charm me most,   

 I sacrifice them to his blood.   

3. See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

 sorrow and love flow mingled down.   

 Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,   

 or thorns compose so rich a crown?  

4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,   

 that were an offering far too small;   

 love so amazing, so divine,   

 demands my soul, my life, my all.  

Powerful words. Even the whole realm of nature is insufficient to offer God in appreciation for His love. I can never thank or praise Him enough, but I want to use the gifts and qualities God has given me for His glory. I want to use the language of music to praise Him for all He is and has done. When I started my musical journey of discovery at university I delighted to delve into the marvelous mystery that was music, knowing that God had given us this gift. It is by no means wrong to delight in God's gifts, but it is wrong to value the gift more than the Giver. :-)

Psalm 139: 14 says, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."