A couple of weeks ago, a group of us went to El Paso to see a Christian concert featuring TobyMac. It was a great show, and I think all of us had a great time. I’ve found myself listening to Toby’s new album almost constantly since the concert. There isn’t a bad song on it, but the more I listen to it, the more one song really resonates with me more than any other. The song is titled “Til The Day I Die” from the album This is Not a Test, and it really spells out what it should be like to live as a Christian. I wish I could quote all the lyrics, however, here is what I really want you to know. He sings, “Til the day I die, It’s Your name I’ll glorify. It’s runnin’ deeper than the ocean, this ain’t religion, it’s devotion. 365, every minute, everyday, so in the middle of the madness they can stretch me out like canvas, but I ain’t ever gonna fit in their frame. I can’t stop, I can’t quit. It’s in my heart, it’s on my lips. I can’t stop, no, I can’t quit. It’s in my heart, yeah, I’m all in.”
There is so much in that song, but what I really take from it is the commitment to be all in for God. Being a Christian doesn’t mean just making a decision to accept Jesus one day and then going back to living like you were before you met Him. It’s a commitment to be all in, til the day you die. That’s what the song is getting at. Look at this line again. “This ain’t religion, it’s devotion. 365, every minute, everyday.” Devotion, 365, every minute, everyday. The definition of devotion is “love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or a cause.” Being a Christian calls for devotion, all day everyday. We all mess up with this, but that’s when we just get up, dust ourselves off, and try again.
We all need to be more devoted to Christ. In fact, He warns us what will happen if we aren’t all in. Revelation 3:15, 16 reads, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” In other words, if we are just going through the motions, without any real devotion or commitment to Christ, then we are lukewarm, and He’s not ok with us being lukewarm. I don’t know about you, but I want to be all in til the day I die. Think about it this way. We need to follow Paul’s example with what he wrote in Romans 1:16, 17. He writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” I’m not ashamed of my devotion to Jesus, are you?
Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak
Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak 