All of this talk during the past few days about love, obedience, etc has reminded me of a song from Tony Vincent. Matthew's (Daelon), in his comments in "The Vast Sea of Grace - Part 4," brought up a part of the famous "love chapter" of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13. I won't copy the whole chapter here, but it's always worth a read. A summary of it would be, "I could do all kinds of great and wonderful things, but I'm nothing without love."
An even better summary comes from the lyrics of a song from Tony Vincent's self-titled CD from the mid 90's. This CD is a MUST HAVE for anyone who appreciates the grace of God. It's available in the store at tonyvincent.com, and song samples can be heard here. (Underneath where it says "select an album," click "more..." and then click where it says "Tony Vincent." Start with "Out of My Hands" and see if you don't want to hear more)!
Tony Vincent - Far Cry
I could speak with the tongues of angels
I could speak with the tongues of men
I could whisper the language of heaven
Like a chiming of bells in the wind
But it's a far cry from love
It's a far cry from love
I could open the doors of a mystery
Turn all the shadows to light
Keep faith when the odds are against me
Believe when I'm losing my sight
But it's a far cry from love
It's a far cry from love
It's a far, far cry from love
All my passion, my tears, and my blood
Sacrifice will never be enough
If I don't have a heart of love
I am nothing more
Than hollow fading words
Nothing without love
I could open my arms to the hungry
Fight to keep flesh on their bones
Surrender my body for burning
Lay down everything that I own
But it's a far cry from love
It's a far cry from love
It's a far, far cry from love
It's a far cry from love
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Entire "Vast Sea of Grace" Series:
Prelude: Just follow the Word, right?
The Vast Sea of Grace: Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 3 -- Part 4
Summaries: So close but yet so far -- >Far Cry< -- Be a Man
I love that song "Far Cry". It explains exactly what I feel at times. I'll grudgingly do things just in order to keep my conscience clear. But I still feel miserable, because what I'm really thinking is "Ugh..Why do I have to keep doing all this stuff? This is cutting in on my Bible time".
ReplyDeleteSo the works I do that seem good are not worth anything because they're not from love. Only duty and fear of a screaming conscience. This is Old Covenant living I would say. They were living in the shadow, while we have the real thing. But it's not always easy to walk in the real thing. It's much easier to quickly change our behavior if we try to be "good".
Yep I think so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are simply focused on "behavior modification," but many people who don't even know Christ can change their behavior.
ReplyDeleteBy eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there are many Christians and non-Christians alike who seem to have a much easier time being "good." But that doesn't mean for a second that it's goodness that comes from as a fruit of walking in the Spirit by God's grace.
Your article and comments would plug and play in a very interesting way with my current simulblog (Graffiti) Morally Bankrupt: The lack of values in today’s societies.
ReplyDeleteI would love it if you came to “Life on the Blade” and made a comment!
Hey there LivingSword... I read your post earlier and I'll be heading over there soon to join in the discussion!
ReplyDeleteJoel;
ReplyDeleteI wanted to thank you for your comment, it is very much appreciated. I get a lot of non-believers visiting my blog so it is nice to have a follower of Jesus that will make excellent comments just as you did!
LS,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your blog and I think it's great that you are in an ongoing dialog with nonbelievers (and believers). I'll be praying for much fruit to come out of it.