No, I'm not talking about the 1992 Sir Mix-a-Lot song, "Baby Got Back". Frankly, that's a little out there for me. I'm more in tune with a more recent riff on that rhyme...
But since I'm a (musical) child of the 80's and 90's, I still have all these tunes stuck in my head; more and more they come to mind as I am reading the Bible. I know, that sounds a little weird, but I can't help thinking about a key line in an old song and wondering how it can be re-imagined as a way to promote Jesus. Kind of like the video above.
This past Saturday I had a veritable avalanche of musical imaginings. First, I heard the old ZZ Top song, "I Thank You". The key lyric is:
You didn't have to love me like you did
But you did, but you did
And I thank you
Anyone who is a Christ-follower can't help but see the connection between those lyrics and what God has done for humanity through Jesus.
Later, I was finishing up my devotional; the Apostle Paul was recounting in 2 Corinthians 12:9 how Jesus spoke these words to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."
And Paul goes on to say, when talking to the Corinthians of boasting, "But I would rather boast about my weakness, so the power of Christ will dwell in me."
For some strange reason that old Sir Mix-a-Lot song popped into my head and I kind of turned Paul's words around and asked, "How big are your "buts" today?"
I've heard people say, "Yes, it's so important to have the love of Christ in you - BUT - don't be a doormat," or, "I'm a Christian - BUT - if that person does that to me one more time...," or, "I try to love my neighbor as myself - BUT - that guy is just unloveable."
We all have big "buts". We all have lines that we don't want others to cross. We're ready to follow Christ - BUT - ... and that's when others look at us and say, "See? That's why I don't go to church or believe in that stuff."
Maybe the world would see Jesus differently if our "buts" weren't so big.
Many in the world today keep asking for proof; proof that God exists. Proof that Jesus is who He says He is. Maybe, if our "buts" weren't so big, they would have their proof?
What do you think.
X
Great blog post. Definitely gave me a lot to think about. I'm trying to be a better Christian, but sometimes balancing motherhood (I'm sleep deprived most of the time) makes it tough for me to go to church as often as I'd like. So I'm trying to be a better person to make up for that. It's tough especially in the world we live in. But I do little things here and there, small good deeds that no one but God and I know about. It's not much but at least it's something...
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Liz! While church is important from a biblical perspective (the writer of Hebrews urges us not to forsake the fellowship of believers), it is not imperative to our eternal destination. Somewhat in line with your second comment, I've heard the statement, "Church doesn't save us". That's absolutely right - Ephesians 2:8 makes that clear, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;"
DeleteStill, there are awesome reasons for going to church when you can get there :-)
Thank you so much for those little things you do. And you hit the nail on the head: it only matters because it's between you and God :-)
Have a great day...and get some sleep!!
X
As for proof? LOL I don't need proof. I have absolute faith that God exists. That's good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteWhere's that "like" button?!?
Delete