Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

! “Getting in Tune” ,br /> “You can find me on Righteous Road—that's where I walk—at the intersection of Justice Avenue, Handing out life to those who love me, filling their arms with life—armloads of life!” – Proverbs 8:20-21

Many years ago there was a weekly radio program presented by Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra, listened to regularly by many people throughout the country. During one of these broadcasts, at the close of a particularly thrilling number, the announcer came on with this statement, "Here is a letter that I would like to read at this time. It says, 'I am a sheepherder in Wyoming. My only entertainment is a battery radio, which I must use sparingly to make the batteries last, and my fiddle, which I play a great deal. However, I have lost the tuning of my "A" string, and I can't play at all. Please sir, is it possible for you to sound an "A" on your program, so I can tune my violin.'" The vast network stood still for a moment and a clear "A" sounded out across America, and a lonely sheepherder, there by the light of his campfire, tuned his "A" string, and then plucked and tuned until the violin was once again in tune. This is what Jesus Christ does for us in a world that is out of tune. He sounds the note of His grace that enables an individual to put his life back in tune, and to keep it in tune by daily fellowship with Himself. The world is a mess, but Jesus is the message for this messed up age. One of the reasons I like this illustration is that the lonely shepherd knew where to tune into when he needed help—and he knew what he needed. He sent in his request and the “maestro” complied! If you have ever been to a band/orchestra concert you will hear a lot of “noise” as the musicians are warming up. Essentially, their warm-ups include tuning. The pianist will play a note and then each instrument will tune their instrument to that note. It may sound like chaos at the beginning but in reality it is what makes the rest of the performance such a joy to listen to. I am a guitar player and I know how easy it is for my strings to get out of tune. Changes in the weather can make it happen—the tuning knobs get bumped—a number of issues can cause this to happen. When that happens I simply go to the piano and play an “E.” From there I can tune the rest of the strings. If, however, I don’t have access to a piano I can only guess what that note should sound like. If (or when) that is the case I can tune my guitar but it may not be in tune with the piano! When that occurs it also means me out of tune with others as well!
Life can throw our hearts, “out of tune.” We get bumped—we get thrown around by changes—and there are even times when we get strung so tight we feel as if we are going to break.
This is why God’s “Wealth of Knowledge” is so vital to our everyday life! Much like this shepherd it is easy to get our lives out of tune. The “Maestro’s” heart and mind is always perfect. And we know where to find Him! He tells us where He is. Simply send in your request, listen, and get in tune.
Pastor J. T. Carnell