Articles
Has Our Message Changed?
With our ever evolving society, it has become necessary to make some small modifications to many of the songs we sing to keep pace. (SATIRE)!
Here are some undergoing changes now:
‘Some To Jesus I Surrender’
‘My Jesus I Like Thee’
‘Break Thou The Desserts Of Life’
‘I Hope It’s OK With My Soul’
‘The Lord Is My Shepherd When I Need Him’
‘Stay Close To Me’ (in case I need you)
‘Faith Of Our Fathers - revisited’
‘Shall We Gather At The River After The Ballgame”
‘Legend Of An Old Rugged Cross’
‘To God Be Some Glory’
‘Nearer My God To Me’
‘Give My Life And Let Me Be’
We have one on the list that simply needed shortening:
Vs-1, All of self, and none of Thee
Vs-2, Some of self and some of Thee
Vs-3, Less of self and more of Thee
Vs-4, omitted
As we read the above ridiculous satirical effort, don’t we have to admit sometimes it’s true. We may sing verse 4, ‘None of self and all of Thee’, but do we live it? I pray we give it our best attempt according to scripture, which by the way is what God asks of us. We will never be perfect, we fall short and sometimes fall down, but do we get back up and try our best again and again?
For those of us in the church, certainly none of us want our lives to be described by one of the altered song titles above. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had to not sing a verse of some songs at times in my life because it would be a lie for me to sing it. My commitment was weak, my efforts were missing in action, and I just couldn’t sing those words.
I know there is a difference between those truly seeking God on His terms, and struggling to get it right and those who are not making any effort to do so at all. An honest look at the religious world around us would force us to say people are somewhere between the two ends of that spectrum. We really don’t see any changing song titles just yet, but the message some are known for teaching already has them altering what God has said in scripture, changing what it says He expects from us, so that they may tickle the ears of today’s thinkers. Some of the most popular teachings out there today are a watered down version of the Gospel, a watered down version of hell, and a watered down version of our duty toward God. They haven’t changed the words in the songs but they are changing the views of people with regards to what those words mean, and just how serious God really is. The serious response God wants from His followers has taken a hit in some religious circles to the point singing “It Is Well With My Soul” may have little to do with one’s position as a result of their commitment to God.
Today, let all of us look in the mirror. Can we sing “All To Jesus I Surrender” or are we refusing to let go of something? Can we sing “My Jesus I Love Thee” knowing Jesus said “IF you love me, you will keep my commandments”? If we sing “Abide With Me” do we really want God to do that, or stay at arm’s length while we live as we desire? Are we interested in the faith our forefathers had, singing “Faith Of Our Fathers”, or do we consider that an outdated religion? Do we want the Bible, unadulterated, or do we prefer some modern day watered down less intrusive teaching? Do we want Jesus to be our Shepherd, or just come running IF we call for help in troubled times?
Is it possible that our world has rubbed off on us until we’ve lost true sight of things?
