So today at staff worship we sang this hymn. (Staff worship happens once a month and a staff person is responsible for leading the rest of the staff in the service.) Today was very good. We did basically a traditional worship service in which we sang hymns. I miss hymns sometimes. When I first starting going to church I really fell in love with many of the hymns. Fascinating because at first I was scared to death of singing those things. First off, I was not a Christian and I knew I wasn’t a Christian but I still sang those songs. What I didn’t realize is that while I sang they began to change me…or rather the Holy Spirit began to do a good work in me. So here I am today fascinated by this particular hymn. As I sang it I have to admit that I began to get a little convicted. I mean maybe you have heard the saying, “be careful what you pray for.” You know, like praying for patience or something. Then of course the Lord is going to send all kinds of fun stuff your way that will teach you to be more patient. So my thought today was really this, “be careful what you sing.” I am afraid of how often we as believers go through the motions of singing our Christian songs and we don’t even think about what the words are saying to either us or to the Lord. What was interesting about this song is that there is no way you can hide. Unless, of course, you just choose not to sing it.
Listen to the first verse…Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart. Wow, I mean we are asking God to penetrate us at our most intimate place.
Now the second…Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart. What? I want to be more loving? I am asking the God of the universe to make me more loving? That is kind of like praying for patience huh? Ouch? Do I really want to be more loving? That means I have to be more willing to be patient, selfless, quick to listen, slow to speak, and generally conscious of others’ needs before my own. Wow, if I am going to sing a song like this I better be prepared for what God wants to do in me in order to get me to be more loving.
Third…Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart. Whew! This is hard enough already! Now I am asking God to make me holy too? Of course. But I have to tell you, as you may well know, the pursuit of holiness is difficult. God does call us to “be holy, for He is holy.” I recall a song that we sang back when I was in college in which we sang about holiness and we sang that we “longed for it.” Do you long for holiness? Do I long for holiness? I am reminded of Ephesians 5:3 which says, ” but among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” Do you consider yourself one of God’s holy people? Do I? Then if you do, is there even a hint? Ouch!
Then finally…Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart. Now there is no where to run and hide. You know the deal. The word “Christian” is so abused today. But what if we asked people if they were like Jesus? What if we asked ourselves if we were more like Jesus? If you choose to sing or pray that God would make you more like Jesus hang on because it is an incredible ride! There is no turning back. To desire to be like Jesus is choosing to be more of a Christian, more loving, and holy. Jesus is love and holiness. We want to be more like Jesus.
The only way that can happen is if we make this our daily prayer. Lord make me more like Jesus. Conform me into His image. And Lord do it in my heart, where we know lasting change happens. I don’t want to just “look” the part, I want to be the part. I want to be like Jesus even when no one is looking, except of course the One we can’t hide from because we cannot hide. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7) And by the way, we wouldn’t want it any other way.
So, be careful what you sing.
