Humility
This week came an interesting and unusual call to humility. I was at work Thursday, coding away and listening to a group called Say Anything. Not a Christian band by an stretch of the imagination, but then most of you know I’m not very close to that scene anyways… So this song comes on and the lyrics hit me with how easily the world can tell when we are not humble and how much that attribute (humility) should define us as Christians. I suck at humility too, which is unfortunate, but all the more reason that this song stuck out to me and was an encouragement to me to be humble. And another reason why I like music apart from the Christian scene often times. God can use it all for His glory and the betterment of His people.
Just to warn you, the language is kinda rough… but it sharpen s the point he’s making I think (no pun intended…) Also, this is just an excerpt, since I don’t agree with the solution to the issue of pride that he gives…. too bad.
Admit It! by Say Anything
Admit it!
Despite your pseudo-bohemian appearance
And vaguely leftist doctrine of beliefs
You know nothing about art or sex
That you couldn’t read in any trendy New York underground fashion magazine
Prototypical non-conformist
You are a vacuous soldier of the thrift store Gestapo
You adhere to a set of standards and tastes
That appear to be determined by an unseen panel of hipster judges (bullshit)
Giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to incoming and outgoing trends and styles of music and art
Go analog baby, you’re so post-modern
You’re diving face forward into a antiquated path
It’s disgusting, its offensive, don’t stick your nose up at me
Yeah, what do you have to say for yourself
Yeah, what do you have to say for yourself
You spend your time sitting in circles with your friends
Pontificating to each other
Forever competing for that one moment of self-aggrandizing glory
In which you hog the intellectual spotlight
Holding dominion over the entire shallow pointless conversation
Oh, we’re not worthy
When you walk by a group of quote-unquote normal people
You chuckle to yourself patting yourself on the back as you scoff
It’s the same superiority complex
Shared by the high school jocks who made your life a living hell
And makes you a slave to the competitive capitalist dogma
You spend every moment of your waking life bitching about
Sorry Luke, but I guess this one pushed my buttons.
I still cannot understand how people who call themselves lovers of the Lord Jesus, Christians, Christ-followers, or whatever the favorite term of the day is….. but, those who supposedly love Jesus who is pure and holy, can let garbage and trash and sinful talk and ideas into their minds and hearts, that Jesus DIED for.
Proverbs 4:24 ” Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.”
Proverbs 8:13 “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”
Proverbs 12:18 “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Proverbs 19:1 “Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse.”
I fear you have flirted with the world just long enough to absorb their music and their movies and their language so you don’t even recognize anymore what you’ve become. I believe it DOES matter what you take in, Luke…because sooner or later, it starts coming out and you don’t look or sound any different from the world. So now what is the attraction to your life for an unbeliever??…because the garbage has settled in your heart.
We’ve taught all of you to guard your hearts…not because it sounds “Christian” and “nice” but becuase God knows what happens when we don’t guard our hearts. It throws the doors open for satan to come slinking in and steal those precious hearts away from the LORD, and from purity and from the holy life He requires and desires for HIS glory.
I believe you CAN be holy AND still witness to and minister to the lost without being out of touch with reality. The Lord wouldn’t have demanded it of us if we couldn’t. 1 Peter 1:13-19 “Therefore preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy for I am holy’. And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST…..”
Luke, I feel like you are trying to see how far can you get from God’s standard of holiness (which maybe seems like life with no fun and too many restrictions and rules and whatever else) without going too far to be considered unsaved, or at the least, run as far as you can from being recognized in the same catagory as the Christian home and church you grew up in.
That’s my perception.
I love you.
Debbie vdH
April 4, 2008 at 4:37 pm