Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Identity Crisis!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Praise the One Who Gives Us Joy in the Midst of Sorrow ("Trading My Sorrows")
I've heard a lot of flak about the song “Trading My Sorrows.” While the chorus (which consists of the phrase “Yes, Lord,” repeated about nine times) is admittedly not the most lyrical piece of work, the song actually teaches a wonderful concept: joy.
As Christians, we cannot escape hardships, frustrations, and trials. There are the day-to-day struggles of just living, trying through the Holy Spirit to serve Christ with every breath. Practicing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control on a day-to-day basis is difficult in and of itself. But there are also trials that periodically (or for some people, constantly) come into our lives which make being joyful just hard.
Sometimes we just want to quit. Sometimes we just want to say, “Enough is enough. I'm done.” But since we have Christ, along with salvation He gives us joy. That doesn't mean we're happy all the time, but we have an underlying joyfulness and peace because we are just grateful to have God and His salvation.
This is what “Trading My Sorrows” is talking about. We are able to turn over our frustrations, our sorrows, and our pain to God, and He gives us an indescribable joy in return. We have His assurances and promises to help us through.
“Trading My Sorrows”
I'm trading my sorrows.
I'm trading my shame.
I'm laying them down
For the joy of the Lord!
I'm trading my sickness.
I'm trading my pain.
I'm laying them down
For the joy of the Lord!
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes yes, Lord!
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes yes, Lord!
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes yes, Lord!
Amen.
I am pressed but not crushed,
Persecuted not abandoned,
Struck down but not destroyed.
I am blessed beyond the curse,
For His promise will endure
That His joy's gonna be my strength.
Though the sorrow may last for the night,
His joy comes with the morning.
CCLI Song No. 2574653
© 1998 Integrity's Hosanna! Music
Darrell Evans
For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License No. 108004
Sunday, June 19, 2011
I Am Not Beautiful
(After listening to MercyMe's popular new song "Beautiful," which is not talking about the beauty of God but rather the beauty of man...)
I'm a little leery of all these messages we get bombarded with about how we're "beautiful," "perfect just the way we are," etc. If we're talking about external beauty, then fine, whatever, outward appearances don't really matter anyway. But if we're talking about internal beauty, then we have a problem. By ourselves, we are not beautiful. Our sin is UGLY and AWFUL before God. Only through His forgiveness and grace are we made beautiful before Him. Praise God that He loves ugly, sinful wretches like us! May we not focus on our beauty, but on His! :)
"I Am Not Beautiful"
Sometimes my sinful inclinations
Get the best of me.
Sometimes insincere intentions
Rob from Your glory.
Sometimes my deceitful heart
Tries to justify depravity.
Sometimes my worthless old man
Comes back to haunt me.
(CHORUS)
And during those times
I am not beautiful;
I don't care what they say.
While it's true that God created me,
He didn't make me this way.
I don't need to love myself;
I just need to forsake,
Because I know You made me
To worship You always.
Sometimes the devil whispers
Lies into my heart,
And I don't try to fight him;
His sin I want to take part.
Sometimes rebellion consumes my mind,
Distorting all I see.
I don't think of Your holiness,
Just think of pleasing me.
Repeat CHORUS.
I am not beautiful
When I act this way;
I am not beautiful
When I choose to stray;
I am not beautiful,
But You love me anyway.
Forgive me, Lord, I pray.
Copyright 2011 Samuel Pelton.
Praise the One Who Gave/Gives Us Life ("Breathe")
First, the author says that God's presence inside of us is like the air we breathe. Just like air, His living in us gives us life and keeps us living! The author goes on to compare God's Word to our daily bread; again, she's saying that His Word is what keeps us alive and living. Without His presence inside us and without His Word to guide us, we would die, both physically and spiritually.
The author wraps up with two little lines declaring our great need and desperation for God. Even though He has saved us, we still need Him each and every day to sustain our physical and spiritual life. Without Him, we would be lost. So in just a few short lines ("This is the air I breathe: / Your holy presence living in me. / This is my daily bread: / Your very Word spoken to me. / And I'm desperate for You! / And I'm lost without You!") this song conveys a powerful and simple message of our continual and dire need for God in our lives always.
He is our air; He is our bread. He is our sustenance and our fulfillment. Praise Him!
"Breathe"
This is the air I breathe;
This is the air I breathe:
Your holy presence living in me.
This is my daily bread;
This is my daily bread:
Your very word spoken to me.
And I, I'm desperate for You!
And I, I'm lost without You!
CCLI Song No. 1874117
© 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Marie Barnett
For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License No. 108004
Hello!
The title is Musical Musings because at this point I figure most of the entries will be about (Christian) songs, but I may occasionally veer from that general guideline and discuss other biblical topics every now and then. Who knows? Maybe this will be like one of the many writing projects I started and had grand ideas for but gave up on after only a couple of weeks.
The main thing is that all that I write (or do) be glorifying to God my Savior, so if I say anything iffy when it comes to that, go ahead and call me out on it right away.
Peace out! :)
In Christ,
Sam