Life
is relatively unpredictable, we can plan our lives to the last detail and it rarely
works out to our expectations. There are things in life that turn out to be just
another let down. A couple of things recently gave me the feeling of being let
down by people I had trusted and that bummed me out!
The
first was when I bought the new album by a favorite group, Collective Soul, without
really checking it out first. I think I might have heard one song off the album
and without thinking went and bought it. I already own nine of their albums and
was eagerly looking forward to enjoying this one too. In the past there had
never been any reason for me to be concerned with any music from this group, occasionally
there were some iffy words used in the lyrics, but nothing out and out foul.
On
several of their albums it seemed as though they alluded to a belief in God,
which made sense because the lead singer Ed Roland and his brother Dean the rhythm
guitarist, were the sons of a preacher. Ed seemed very close to and proud of
his father, when his father passed away he wrote a song on the album
“Collective Soul” which came out in 2009, with the title “Hymn for My Father”
in which it sounded as though Ed wanted to follow his father’s example by
leading a godly life. They had made their entrance into the mainstream music
scene back in ’95 with the release of the song “Shine”, it’s still considered
their biggest hit and it’s all about Heaven shinning a light on man, showing
him how to live! There are some other songs with a hint of spiritually in them
like “Never Here Alone”, but mostly positive thoughts and lyrics to that
effect. Songs all about love, romance and life in general were the substance of
their albums for the most part and the sound of the music always intrigued me.
So
imagine my shock when listening to the newest album “See What You Started by
Continuing” when I got to about the seventh track and there it was something I
never expected, the “s” word! It was just there once, but once was enough to
bum me out! The title of the song is “Life” and it’s kind of ironic that I
should consider it a downer! I just think artists should be more creative in
their music and not be carbon copies of all the others! Most of the time
artists add explicit words thinking it will help sell the music instead of
letting the music sell itself. I think it takes far more talent to avoid those
words and still convey the same feeling or thought. Luckily with today’s
technology I was able to make myself a copy minus the offending song which will
replace the original!
Another
let down occurs when you find out that people are not who they portrayed
themselves to be, this is a little harder to get past! Again this brings me
back to my obsession with music, early on when I discovered “Christian” music
there were some favorite groups I enjoyed listening to, Everyday Sunday was one
of them. I own four of their albums and although not overtly Christian in their
themes, they were played on Christian music stations, so I figured they were.
Well,
I had a real shock when the lead singer Trey Pearson decided to come out and
announce to the world that he has given in to his lust for men! Talk about
explosion! The people you put your trust in have a tendency to let you down
most of the time! Now even the “Christians” are turning to homosexuality, giving
their lives over to the Devil instead of Christ!
Jesus
didn’t say “ok, go back to your sinful life!” He told her to go and not to
continue in the sin of adultery! So it’s the same for us, we can’t follow
Christ without giving up our sins. So poor Trey has been tricked by the Devil
into thinking he can hold onto his desire for other men and still call himself
a Christian! You can’t sincerely and truly follow Christ if you can’t give up
your sins and idols!
Along with Ephesians 5:3-7 where it says “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.”
I interpret these passages to mean that if one is sexually immoral (a homosexual) we should not consider them as Christian and therefore separate ourselves from them. This could also be referred to as being a hypocrite, which is what Jesus often called the religious leaders and the Pharisees who expected the people to follow the laws of Moses, but they themselves did not. The difference would be if a homosexual person were to leave that sin behind and want to become a Christian, then that would be possible, because it’s all about changing from the old life to a new one in Christ!
So since Trey has renounced being a Christian in favor of being a homosexual, I can no longer listen to his music with Everyday Sunday, it troubles me to hear those lyrics coming from him knowing where his life is heading! I have to wonder if it was all a lie from the start, if he had just been hiding his true nature all those years! It’s not quite the same as with Collective Soul, I can listen to their other music, just not that one song, I’m just sad that they both gave in to the demands of the world!
All though we suffer so many let downs in life, there is one being who can be trusted without fear to never let you down and He is our Creator, God! As He tells us in Isaiah 46:4 “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” And again in Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So take heart, God has given us his son Jesus Christ who will never deceive or leave you and will love you forever!
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