If you’ve read this far and thought, “I don’t need to evaluate the quality or quantity of my music,” you’re probably wrong. Because indwelling sin is so deceptive, I usually have a difficult time seeing the effect music is having on me. Areas to consider include how much music you listen to, what types, in what situations and times of day, and for how long. Ask your friends, parents, or a pastor to get their perspective on whether your music listening is characterized by biblical discernment and a desire to please God. Make sure they give you an honest answer. It could be the means God uses to deliver you from the world’s grasp.

 

When we become Christians, God transforms our hearts. We’re no longer those who live “in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind” (Eph. 2:3). Pursuits we once found appealing no longer interest us and at times even repulse us. But more often than not, music that might tempt us stays on our computers, in our CD collection, or on our MP3 player. Whether the reason is negligence, lack of time, or the thought that we might find it appealing at a later date, it’s wise to get rid of what could hinder our growth in Christ.

 

As my children were growing up, we had one CD player in the house that served as the family listening center. Music was a family activity and no one developed his or her own private listening habits. Those days are long gone. But listening to music with others is still a good idea. Part of the joy music communicates comes from sharing it. If you only listen to music through a set of headphones, consider investing in a set of speakers for your iPod or an audio system for your home. And don’t insist on listening to music only you like.

 

You don’t have to be especially gifted to play a guitar or plunk out chords on a piano. But even if you don’t play an instrument, you can obey God’s command to sing (Ps. 47:6). Producing music ourselves frees us from thinking that the joy music provides depends on technology.

 

At American University, students in a class called “Understanding Mass Media” were shocked to learn mid-semester that the course requirements included a 24-hour media fast: “No television, computers, iPods or other MP3 devices, radio, video games, CD players, records, or cell phones (or land lines) for 24 hours.” One student described it as “grueling pain”; another called it “one of the toughest days I have had to endure.”But everyone lived to tell about it, and some even thought they benefited from the assignment.

Maybe you can’t imagine giving up your music for a month, a week, or even a day. But there are few more effective ways to measure the place music holds in your life, thinking, and behavior. It doesn’t even have to be a full fast. You can try driving in silence for twenty minutes rather than listening to the radio or your iPod. You can establish a limit to how much music you listen to each day.

Whatever kind of fast you choose, it’s sure to leave you with more time to pray, read your Bible, and serve others.

 

Rhapsody, iTunes, and other downloading services have made it easier to lose track of how much you’re actually spending on music. Before you know it, you’ve racked up one hundred dollars in charges for music you “had” to have. Realistically, some of us can’t even listen to all the music we buy. Figure out a budget for what you should be spending and stick to it.

 

Music is neither a demon to be feared nor a god to be idolized. It’s simply a part of God’s creation intended to serve his glory and our good. That means we can appreciate a wide variety of different styles and expressions of music. But when it comes to music, most of us know what we like and like what we know. We rarely venture out into new styles and genres. In fact, we excel at mocking the tastes of those we think are less musically informed—people who like country, opera, or pop, for instance. Try asking your friends with different musical tastes to suggest songs or albums you should listen to. Discover what they enjoy about a particular style or artist and what aspect of God’s glory you might be missing by not listening to it. Listen to old music. Human beings have been making music at least since the fourth chapter of Genesis, where we’re told that Jubal “was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe” (Gen. 4:21). A lot of music has been written, sung, and recorded since then. And yet we can still think the best music is what was produced in the past ten years—or worse, what’s coming out next month. Music that stands the test of time is worth giving our attention to. That doesn’t mean everything written in the past is great music. But we’re shortsighted, proud, and poorer if we never appreciate the music God has given us throughout history.

 

Music is a gift from God. But God never intends his gifts to replace him as the object of our desire and delight. Music may be able to calm our hurried spirits, encourage our troubled hearts, and strengthen our weary souls—but not like our Savior can. He has redeemed us by his death, sympathizes with us in our weaknesses, and is able to give us mercy and grace in our time of need (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 4:15–16). Music, like all of God’s gifts, is meant to draw our hearts and attention to his glory, his power, and his love.