Water to Wine

This week I am including a song “Water Into Wine” that is one of my personal favorites.If you would like to purchase it along with the rest of the "Soul River" album, you can find it on Amazon or iTunes.[audio mp3="http://chrisatkins.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/04-Water-Into-Wine.mp3"][/audio]When I recorded it in Nashville I was blessed to work with Bruce Koblish, an outstanding producer, who brought in some top-notch session musicians to work with me.“Water into Wine” is a fairly simple song. I remember feeling nervous about this as the studio musicians listened to my pre-production demo in the studio, so I prayed and asked God to mold the song into what He desired, whether or not it made it onto the album.Once the musicians and I started rehearsing it, the song was transformed with an unexpected Latin feel. When I recorded the vocal the instruments underneath felt like the wind of the Holy Spirit as I sang.  It was an experience I will always remember and cherish.God taught me that in the hands of gifted musicians even an ordinary, simple song could be transformed into something really special.God is in the business of turning ordinary things into extraordinary ones.This is especially true of people.The Apostle Paul wrote that in our weakness God strength can be displayed. Check this out:

But [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 1 Corinthians 12:9

I have seen many “ordinary” musicians who chose to humbly and faithfully serve God become empowered and equipped by Him. Over time God transformed them into extraordinary worship musicians and leaders, some of who now serve as full- or part time worship pastors in different churches.Sometimes God calls us to step out in faith into a ministry in which we feel our gifts are ordinary or even deficient. If we are willing to trust God, learn, and serve with humble hearts and attitudes, God can grow and transform us to fill the kingdom need to which He has called us.A few weeks ago a writer friend of mine told me that she felt God’s call to help translate a Christian book written by another author for use in a Latin country even though she knew or spoke very little Spanish. God’s call for her was confirmed by many people and powerful circumstances, and she went forward in utter dependence on God.  Today she is leading this ministry venture even as she learns more language skills. God is using and growing her ordinary abilities to demonstrate His extraordinary glory and power in a part of the world that has a need to know and experience Him.Do you believe God can transform you, or even use your weakness to show His glory and power to other people?The Bible teaches that a person who truly worships God will be transformed by God so that we can live for and serve Him, even in our weaknesses.In John 2:1-11 Jesus turned water—a common thing—into wine, an extraordinary thing that the wedding banquet coordinator called the “choice” and “best” wine. Jesus did this not just to fill a practical need but more importantly to reveal God’s glory.God who is sovereign over all creation, can do this in an instant or over time. To this day God still turns water into wine. How? The water falls in the form of rain and nourishes the grape vines that produce fruit that is harvested and crushed and put into vats that over time through natural sugars being consumed by yeast produce gas and fermentation that changes that grape juice into wine. Water is turned into wine.But John’s gospel account is not just about wine. It’s about what God wants to do in each of us. God sees us for who He created us to be, or rather RE-created us to be in Christ Jesus. But He doesn’t stop there. When we give ourselves to God as an act of worship, His power moves in us and through us to accomplish His kingdom purposes on earth, and we, like the choice and best wine that came about by Jesus’ touch, are transformed into something special that God can us to display His glory.