Verse Text: 23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
"I surrender, I lie down, I give up."In the world, these words are rarely spoken. We are always taught to fight, to keep trying, to win. In the military, these words declare defeat. In sports, they result in a loss. In illness, they can mean death. In life, they mean failure. But in the context of selfish ambition and the pride of life, these words are the beginnings to true life and intimacy with Christ. God wants us all to die to ourselves, and in this death we can become alive in Christ Jesus. I was working on my newest record SING. I was struggling with some lyrics with a song and felt like I had exhausted my resources and my attempts. I had spent days racking my brain, trying to lyrically say something of worth that was original. I was challenged by my producer to get on my knees and cry out to God. I neglected to do so and wasted hours upon hours of selfish attempts. Finally, when I yelled out in my frustration, when I let go of myself, I experienced God. God caught me when I fell. It became less about music and my lyrics and completely about intimacy with Christ. God needed me to give up and surrender before I could find victory. It seems like death is needed before life can begin. Has the pursuit of a recording contract or getting your songs heard and recorded kept you from true intimacy with Christ? Has the longing to achieve and succeed robbed you from life? Have you ever struggled in your songwriting because of mixed motives? You must come to the end of yourself before you can begin to find God.
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I think that the purpose of the struggle is to reveal your need for God. The struggle reveals your inadequacy. It reveals how much you cannot do anything of worth without God. When we finally give in and send up the white flag, we find intimacy with Christ. We must let God into our circumstances and our art. Beautiful art causes us to worship our Creator. God is the one who allows a good song or a beautiful painting to enter this world all for the purpose of bringing Him glory. We cannot live and move in this life apart from our Lord. We must crumble into His arms, letting go of all of our stuff. It is all used to bring us to Himself and to teach us that our reliance must be on Him. Questions: To what are you holding tightly? Is there something you are trying to accomplish for selfish ambition or gain? What area has God been asking you to give over to Him that you are reluctant to do so? Praise: Praise Him for His grace, praise Him for His beauty, praise Him for His pursuit of us.
Praise Him for allowing us to be vessels for the creative process.
Praise Him because in His death we have life.
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