Devotions with Lecrae: Used to Do it Too

The more I listen to Lecrae (and a few other Christian rappers, including Trip Lee) I'm struck by the theology and the message in their music.  Christian rap has come a long way in the last few years. Not too long ago it was really poor, but these guys that are big now not only have great messages, their beats and lyrical skills are great too.

This morning I was thinking about the message in Lecrae's song "Used To Do it Too" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tjuuy9deEc).  A few lines in parts of the song specifically caught my ear.

The intro to the song goes like this:

Some folks think they mistakes, gonna keep them out the gates (Heaven). It ain't about what YOU do, it's about what HE did. 

So from the get go Lecrae has us focusing on what is important, Jesus sacrifice to save us from our sins; forgiveness.

The chorus of the song goes like this:

I used to do it too, I used to do it too, I used to do it, used to do it, used to do it too. I'm changed, now I'm something different. I'm changed, I love the way I'm living. I'm changed, saved me from my own sin. I'm changed, I learned how to live again.  

Later on he references Colossians 2 directly, and seems to be rapping straight out of Romans 8. Both are passages dealing with freedom from sin, freedom from the rule of the flesh, and being free in the Spirit. One can also find reference to Romans 6, where Paul says we must die to sin and become slaves to righteousness.

In the later verses of the song, Lecrae talks about his sin, saying: "you name it, I promise I done it all, so busy doin' me, I ain't care at all," which describes all of our lives in sin. We're selfish, sinful beings, we sin over and over.  Lecrae ends that verse with this line, which is one of my favorites:

But I ain't fix myself, ain't turn myself around. I gave it up and told the Lord that He can have it now

What a powerful statement of what we do in living for Christ. We commit to giving over our sin and becoming slaves to righteousness. We die, and are made new.  Praise the Lord

I love listening to Lecrae's music. I can enjoy it for it's musical quality, but it also reminds me constantly of the joys of being a Christ-follow, and the commitment that entails.

Devotions with Lecrae: Don't Waste Your Life

This morning for devotions I was reading 1 Corinthians 15, specifically verses 12-34. This passage, especially the first few verses, is one of my favorites, and perhaps one of the most fundamental in the New Testament. In verses 12- 14, Paul writes:

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

After devotions, I turned on some music as I made breakfast and got ready for church.  The first song to come on was Lecrae's "Don't Waste Your Life", which you can listen to at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbQyQavqqMI

In the first verse Lecrae says: 

Paul said if Christ ain't resurrect then we wasted our lives       Well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive Everyday I'm trying to show the world why Christ is more than everything you'll ever try 

Basically he sums up what Paul says in 1 Corinthians, if there is no resurrection, then our preaching and our faith is utterly useless. Paul goes on later to say that if Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile, we are still in our sins. Then he builds to say that Christ has indeed been raised and we are made alive in him.

It was for me a great reminder of why we live and what we live for. Nothing can compare to the love of Christ, who died, and was resurrected for our sins. We often talk about Christ's sacrifice of dying on the cross for us, but at least for me, it's far less often that I celebrate his resurrection, which is the foundation of our faith. 

Playing the background, wisdom from Lecrae

Last night I took my sister Kassi to a Lecrae concert for her birthday.  For those who don’t know Lecrae, look him up. He’s a Christian rapper and he’s legitimately good.  Not only can the man rap, the man can preach, and he often does them at the same time.  A number of artists performed leading up to Lecrae.  They were all pretty good and each had a good message to share about the impact Christ has had on their lives and the power of Christ’s love, grace and forgiveness.  However, it was Lecrae who brought the house down with his beats and rhythms, and it was Lecrae who truly brought the message home. 

All of Lecrae’s songs have a clear gospel message.  He and a group of rappers signed with his record label are know as the 1-1-6 Clique, named for Romans 1:16, “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.”  Throughout his performance Lecrae paused a number of times in between songs to reflect on the message of a particular song or to re-focus the night on giving God the glory. 
One song that particularly spoke to me was called “Background.” (If I set it up right, it’s playing on this page.  If not, here’s the you-tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHnZRZiCYHE)  The chorus says:

I could play the background
I could play the background
Cause I know sometimes I get in the way
So won’t you take the lead, lead, lead?
So won’t you take the lead, lead, lead?
And I could play the background, background
And you could take the lead.

The message of the song is that we need to stop trying to live in the spotlight and we need to let God run the show.  Rather than trying to be in control and receive the credit for ourselves, we need to remember to step back, let God lead and walk in the steps he has laid out for us. 

There’s a line in the song that says “I end up confessing that I’m not that impressive, matter of fact I’m who I are, a trail of stardust leading to the superstar.”  That’s what we are, a trail of dust, leading to the superstar (God).  We are made in His image, we reflect His glory.  We are not here to serve ourselves or other men, rather we are here to serve our Lord Jesus Christ.  I know I love to receive credit for the good things that I do, but in that I’m missing the point of living for Christ.  To truly lay down my life and live for God I need to gratefully accept the background role to the greatest lead of all time, Jesus Christ.

I’m not here to accomplish my goals and get praised for my accomplishments.  I’m here to follow God’s call on my life and bring glory to His name through my each and every step. When we let God take the lead, He does amazing things in our lives and blesses us beyond measure.  However, letting God take the lead and in turn playing the background, does not mean sitting back and just watching God work.  God has purpose for us, and that means being proactive Christians.  Rather than sitting around waiting for God to act, we should act in a Christ-like manner, knowing full well that God is present in all things and will use all things for His purpose.

I pray that God would help me (and all of us) to see the areas in my life where I need to stop trying to play the lead role and let Him take the lead.   I pray that I would not sit idly by an wait for God to work, but that I actively follow God’s path, letting Him give me my cues and serving Him for His glory at all times.