I Must Be Fair

Yesterday I shared something of a rant with you over the omission of Jesus' name on American Idol. Well, I must be fair. Last night during the elimination episode the contestants once again sang "Shout to the Lord", however this time they did not take Jesus out of the song.

I don't know the reason for the change (my blog cannot accept credit), but I was glad to see and hear it. This song was written with the understanding of who Jesus Christ is. He is the reason for the song. I was glad to hear His name back in the song.

It's really a very interesting topic. One night they intentionally leave His name out of the song. The next night they put His name back in! This is what I call riding the fence. It's a commitment to not being committed. Last I checked fence riding was not a professional sport but there are a lot of pro's involved. I wonder how many people sing about Jesus on Sunday but dare not speak His name on Monday?

In case you haven't noticed I will always try to make a spiritual application. Why? Because I believe that the lessons we learn in the natural world can be applied to the spiritual part of our lives. American Idol does not lay claim to being pleasing to God. However, we as believers do. I don't expect American Idol to bring praise to God, but a follower of Christ should.

Jesus said, "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Matthew 8:38. When I hear these words it sounds as though Jesus is speaking directly to this generation. These are very piercing words. The problem with many people is that we are too busy trying to sing two different songs. We are trying to sing the song of the world while at the same time singing the song of the Lord. We are trying to sing good songs that are pleasing to men while also trying to sing songs that are pleasing to God.

The Bible teaches us that this world is at emnity with God. That is, this world fights against God and the knowledge of Him. We are not to love this world. However, we easily get caught up in the snares of this world. What happened on American Idol the last couple of days is a visual illustration of Sunday Christianity. Once again I want to say that I don't expect American Idol to be about Christ. This is a message to those who call themselves Christians. When given the opportunity will you speak, sing, or even preach the name of Christ. Or are you going to do everything but speak His name?

Thanks to American Idol for putting Jesus back into the song. And for the record last night's performance was much better. Jesus makes the difference. To the believer I say: Keep Jesus at the center of your song. Don't change the words because you will change the meaning. Jesus should be the central figure in all you do. He is our Strength, our Shelter, our Lord. Jesus makes the difference.