What About God | David Yeubanks

There is a beautiful song by Christian artist Rita Springer called "About God" and it is featured on her latest release called Effortless (available from Floodgate Records LLC). I have long since been a great fan of Rita's music; it is expressive of a passion to know God so intimately and follow Him completely. The intensity of this desperation for God is so wonderfully characterized by her trademark "raspy" voice and the words and music of the songs she creates. Effortless is a great CD, full of emotion, inspiration and a clear anointing of God's presence can be sensed when listening to this album. I encourage you to check it out, especially if you love "worship" music, are a fan of Rita Springer or enjoy the styles of music that typically are associated with Vineyard Music Group. The album is produced by David Ruis and features the talent of great artists like Andrew Smith. Really good stuff! Having said that, I will also just honestly say that Efortless is not my favorite album of Rita's music, but there is some really great content on this CD; especially this song "What About God?".

Now regarding the song "About God," I just have to encourage you to read the lyrics of this song. It really inspired something in me to consider my life and how much of it has revolved around "things" and not simply HIM. And typically so many of us Christians have excelled at making church and religious activities the center of our attentions and preoccupation. Certainly it can be a good thing to involve ourselves with positive efforts to help others as well as we seek to find some measure of fulfillment ourselves in belonging to something that intends to glorify God and make His goodness known to others. It also often just feels good to be "involved."

However, the one problem I have discovered that generally tends to exist when our lives become busied about with such things is that rarely are we so innocent in our deeply motivated reasons for participating. While often our surface motives may tend to be sincere (or at least appear that way), many times (especially when the subject of our participation concerns church-related or other religious programs) we cross a line in our hearts and move over to the works righteouness mind-set. Theologically we would never admit such concepts direct so many of our actions, but if we are honest I think we would have to say they do.

It's so easy to become comfortable with a routine and, while in that patterned environment with such clearly defined expectations, we can get really good at playing the game, so to speak. We often start to gage our spirituality (or at least how we want others to believe about us) by how faithfully we attend, how spiritual the content of our speech is, how "together" we appear, and even looks can play into this game; i.e. dressing the part well to give an impression of godliness. Sometimes, if if such un-spiritual motivations are not evident, we become so busy with "serving the Lord" that this "serving", it could be said, takes even the place of the Lord Himself in a large sense! We often get too busy to think that we have time to just sit at His feet, loving, listening to and waiting on Him.

And she (Martha) had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to Him, and said, Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:39-42)

I'll never forget when I first heard Gene Edwards' testimony of how he left the institutional organized church after being a pastor for years and a much sought after minister and God really grabbed ahold of his heart, humbled him and set his eyes on Christ and instilled in him a great love for His body. He made the strong statement that (prior to this awakening) his "god" had become that of "serving the Lord." It so preoccupied his life that simply knowing Him and walking in fellowship with Him and His people was all but lost. "The god of serving God" was a powerful statement that nailed me hard in the head and penetrated right through to my heart. My heart's cry has always been to know Him intimately. I have never wanted to place anything before my relationship with Jesus. Sadly though, "serving" the Lord has many times taken precedence over the "knowing." Somehow as Christians we so often put that in the way of our relationship with Him and we somehow become deluded with the idea that this serving is what makes us grow spiritually and guarantees us favor and intimacy with Him. If there is one thing I have noticed about participating in "church life" it is that, usually, you are trained heavily in the serving part of being a Christian. Most of the emphasis is on "doing"... and while the "knowing" is constantly referred to, it is not often the pure motivation that drives our efforts. It is through painful, heart-wrenching dealings of the Holy Spirit in my life that my eyes have begun to open to this reality.

In Rita's song "About God" she asks the question, "how can we say we have eyes and yet be so blind?" This is so true of most of us who have prided ourselves on all of our "correct" theology. But for all of that "correct" theology we too often fail to really live in the literality that God's presence does not dwell in temples made with human hands (Acts 17:24), but within the hearts of each person (1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 6:16) who has been called apart unto Him (Galatians 3:27), born again (1 Peter 1:22-23) and baptized into His body (1 Corinthians 12:13) by the same Spirit. Again I will say that though we indeed believe this from a theological standpoint, we do not live within this reality (in essence"system" of religion and the programs it employs. Many believe their very identity is defined by their participating in religious things (i.e. attending church, helping on a "worship team," or working in evangelistic outreach programs). Others believe it is just not possible to be a Christian without placing great emphasis on the religious program. In essence what this can boil down to is placing "religion" on the same level with salvation! We would never dare admit that with our lips, but see if it is not true with the evidence of our actions and even the way we typically think and react to each other!

In the last verse of the song, Rita sings:

"You can look through the windows of a stained glass cathedral
You can speak in tongues with a church and a steeple
Who hides the keys to your own heart's temple?
I wonder if it's God!"

Amazing to think that for all the religion we participate in, it could be possible that God does not really "hold the keys" to our heart's temple. I believe that when Christians truly start to awaken to the reality that God has set up His kingdom within our very hearts, we will stop over emphasizing programs, buildings, rituals, ordinances, etc. and start emphasizing (and trusting) the genuine rule of Christ within the individual's life by the Spirit of God.

As this song declares, it's time to surrender our trust to the truth, not the system! We must get our eyes off men and off of religious things and get wholly focused on the Lord. That's where true inner transformation comes from! That's where real peace abides. That is what inspires true motivation because only when our lives become grounded in the soil of intimate relationship with Jesus, then our deeds will flow from love (not pride or selfishness), cheerful, willing hearts (not from duty or compulsion), and with obedience to the voice of God's Spirit within us (not the commandments and traditions of men)!

In His love,
David Yeubanks

"WHAT ABOUT GOD?"
Rita Springer

I have thought about God and my own life's existence
And it's not like I've not been on my knees in repentance
Bigger than life, and out on my own
I've come to these conclusions about God

I have thought about God when searching for solutions
Disappointment and cost, birthing such confusion
Surrendered my trust to the truth, not a system
And to God...

How can we walk underneath an open sky?
How can we say we have eyes and yet be so blind?
You have your race and religion

And I guess I have mine
What about God?

I had a thought about God when my own father was dying
I fought the idea of death and its timing
I turned the other cheek only because I was crying
Out to God...

You can look through the windows of a stained glass cathedral
You can speak in tongues with a church and a steeple
Who hides the keys to your own heart's temple?
I wonder if it's God!

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