Daily Devotional for July 17, 2021
Sour Notes
Maria set up her music stand, then took out her violin. She began to play, but as she drew her bow across the strings, many notes were shaky and unsure. “I’m outta here!” exclaimed her brother Carlos, heading for the door. “Those high, squeaky notes hurt my ears!”
“Carlos is right—they sound awful!” wailed Maria. “My teacher calls those sour notes. This piece is too hard!”
“Try it again,” said Mom, coming into the room. “Keep practicing.”
With a sigh, Maria did so. Though she still couldn’t play the song perfectly by the end of her thirty-minute practice session, it had definitely improved.
“Did everyone have a good day?” asked Dad at dinner that evening. “What did you all do?”
“I practiced the new piece my violin teacher assigned,” said Maria. “It still needs a lot of work, but it’s coming along.”
“I played ball with some friends at the park,” Carlos said. “John got mad and went home. He doesn’t do that as much as he used to, but he sure blew it today.”
“That’s too bad,” said Mom, “but I’m glad he’s been doing better.”
Maria frowned. “But he’s a Christian, isn’t he? He should know better than to get mad like that.”
“Well, let’s pray for him and be thankful he’s making progress,” Dad said. “It’s easier to be patient with others when we remember we all do sinful things sometimes and need God’s help and forgiveness.”
“Right,” said Mom. “Think about your violin practice, Maria. Remember all the sour notes we heard at first? We can have sour notes in our lives too—habits and attitudes that are out of tune with who we are as God’s children. But when we confess our wrongs to Jesus, He forgives us and helps us play a new song.”
Dad nodded. “When we put our trust in Jesus, He changes us and gives us the Holy Spirit, who works in us so others can hear the beautiful song of God’s love and salvation in our lives. It takes time, but God has promised to continue working until the day Jesus returns and gets rid of sin forever. You didn’t give up on your music, and God doesn’t give up on us.”
“Okay,” said Maria. “I’ll keep practicing, and I’m sure John will too.”
-Jorlyn A. Grasser
How about you?
Have there been some sour notes in your life lately? Don’t forget that God is still working on you. He’s patiently teaching you to turn away from sin and show His love to others, and He won’t ever give up on you. When you sin, ask Jesus to forgive you. Then trust Him to help you share His sweet song of salvation with those around you.
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