Friday, October 21, 2016

Does what we say match what we do?

This question is an interesting one. We say many things in our songs, hymns, and spiritual songs about who God is, what He does/did/will do, and what we will do for Him. We sing about His character, nature, and overall power and greatness, but do our actions throughout the week match what we say on Sunday?

This question goes beyond just the songs we sing. It can also be applied to the sermons we hear, the Sunday school lessons we are taught and the acts of giving we participate in during corporate worship. 

But there are so many phrases, words, thoughts, etc. that are used in hymns and modern songs that this topic bears thought. Do our daily lives match the songs we sing in worship?

Let's look at a few of these phrases. While the phrases below may not match exactly what you sing at your church, the concepts carry over, I think, no matter your church's worship style.

If we say "You are Lord" do we allow God to have lordship over our lives? Are our thoughts, actions, and tongue controlled by the Holy Spirit? 

Romans 14:8 says,
               For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; 
               and whether we die, we die unto the Lord;
               whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord's.

When we are saved, we surrender our lives to God. We are no longer in control of ourselves. If we put ourselves on the throne of our lives, then we are not truly allowing God to be the Lord. 

That thought brings us to another phrase we sing. "I surrender all". this phrase is used in many different songs, not to mention a famous hymn written by Judson W. Van DeVenter. This idea goes hand in hand with "You are Lord". If Christ is the Lord of your life, you will surrender all to Him. 

Romans 12:1-2
               I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies
               of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice
               holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable 
               service.
               And be not conformed to this world, but be ye 
               transformed, by the renewing of your mind that
               ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable
               and perfect will of God.

When Christ is the Lord of of lives, we will surrender all to Him. Are there things that you are holding back from surrender? Are you truly surrendered to God to and His leading? We often hold back things in our lives we are not willing to surrender to Him. We have our areas, we have our dreams, goals, plans, that we want but often are not really willing to say God, what do you want?

Finally, if we say "You are Holy", do we live a life of honor and reflect His holiness in every way?
God is a Holy God. In Isaiah, we see in chapter 6 that He is so Holy, the angels around the throne said it three times. We sing Holy, Holy, Holy in our worship services. We say Holy is the Lord God Almighty in praise to God, but do we strive daily to live and show that holiness to the world. 

I Peter 1:15-16
            But as he which hath called you is holy,
            so be ye holy in all manner of conversation
            Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

The OT command to be holy is here carried over into NT principles. Peter here is teaching the relevance of OT passages that describe and support the holiness of God. It is our highest act of praise and devotion to reflect His character and His traits to the world.

Our lives need to reflect Christ in all we say and do. What we do tells more about what we believe about God than what we say. If we say these things in our songs, we should strive to do these things in our lives.