Galatians 6 - Steve Wiggins Daily Devotional

“For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Ruach (Spirit) will reap eternal life from the Ruach. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6: 6b-9

My whole adult life has been spent in & around the “Christian” music business. When I was 22 years old I got my first record deal. I clearly remember the day I signed that record contract. I recall sitting across the desk from the record executive, ink still wet on the contract from my signature. He leaned back in his chair and spouted two incredibly poignant pearls of wisdom. The first was, “Most people fail in this business because they quit too soon”; and the second was, “Don’t quit your day gig.”

Those two statements conveyed a multitude of wisdom. On one hand, he wanted me to know I was in a “slow growth” industry, where investment would take considerable time to pay dividends. On the other hand, he encouraged me that MY payoff was worth the wait…and HIS payoff was dependant on my wise investment and patience!

The “Christian” music business can be a tricky industry. There are many multi-car pileups at the intersection of Faith and Commerce! Some people see the “platform” as an opportunity to vainly project their image, in hopes of exploiting the marketplace. When you view yourself as a product, everyone else becomes a consumer. That scenario doesn’t foster great personal relationships. Eventually, an artist’s “shelf life” ends. Those who sow their gifts in vanity reap an empty harvest.

Other artists approach the business from the standpoint of ministering to others. Sure, they produce products for the marketplace, but the greater desire is for the music to encourage people to draw closer to G_d. The well-intended artists view their time on the “shelf” as the L_rd’s calling, and recognize it is G_d’s prerogative to eventually call them elsewhere. They never tire of doing good, no matter how high or low profile the ministry opportunity may be.

However/wherever we are called to serve the L_rd, we should each diligently sow the gospel seed in whatever mission field the L_rd leads us to. Then, we must patiently wait for G_d to provide growth. When we focus less on our personal pay-off, and more on the quality of fruit that develops in the lives of others, we will be less inclined to sell-out or quit when times get hard.

Blessings,
~Steve Wiggins, Associate Leader, Worship Leader
Shuvah Yisrael
Daily Devotional, Friday, October 4, 2013