I am a fan of Christian radio!
I believe that our relationship with God is like any other relationship. It grows stronger the more time we spend with the Him. That is why I begin my days in fellowship with God in the Word and through prayer. But I don’t just put a check mark next to “time with Jesus” on my “To-Do List” when I walk out the door. I try to communicate with Him throughout my day. That is why I love Christian radio. I have constant access to songs that build my faith and lead me to worship. Not to mention that the on-air personalities never fail to share stories and testimonies from their personal lives that challenge me and that I identify with. The other day I was listening to one of my favorite CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) stations and heard a woman call in and share that she and her husband were going through a hard time. They had their dial on this station and heard about “National Go Back to Church Day” coming up that weekend and decided to give it a try. They renewed their walk with the Lord and have felt such joy and peace since then. A few days ago I was listening to another station and heard a young girl call in and share that she was minutes away from committing suicide when she heard Tenth Avenue North’s “You Are More” and felt her Father speaking to and assuring her that He was with her! Come on! How amazing is that!?!
I have 3 wonderful stations I listen to here in Nashville and I am fully aware of how blessed that makes me. There are some places that don’t have any Christian radio stations in their area. I don’t want to take this blessing for granted, and I don’t want you to either. Many CCM stations are listener supported, and it is easy to phase out those times when they are in their pledge drive. The next time you hear your local station during this time, can I encourage you to consider how much your Christian radio station contributes to your walk with the Lord and to respond as such? I believe God delights in us when we bring offerings to the places we are “fed”. I’ll leave you with the words of Paul after the Philippian church blessed him with financial support of his ministry:
It was good of you to help me when I was having such a hard time. I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that come from giving…[The gifts] are like a sweet-smelling offering or like the right kind of sacrifice that pleases God. I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus! (Philippians 4:14, 17, 18b-19 CEV)