05/02/2023
“I’D RATHER HAVE JESUS” by Jay Graham
John 1:12-13 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
I am convinced it is the Lord’s will for us, His people”, to sing various types of songs. We sing sad songs, and we sing happy songs. We sing songs of praise as well as songs of Thanksgiving. We sing making requests of our God, and we sing songs that instruct us in our Lord’s Ways. We also sing songs that can be dangerous for us to sing. By that I mean we need to sing with understanding as Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 14:15 15 What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
The song as the title of this article comes from Crum’s red book page 1B. When we sing this song, we are stating to the Lord that we would rather have Jesus than an abundance of earthly possessions and riches. We sing we would rather have Jesus than the praise of men. We sing we would rather be faithful and true to His cause. We sing Jesus is all our hungering souls and spirits require. We sing we would rather have Jesus and let him lead our lives.
What if we are are not truly thinking of the words we are singing? How does that sound to the Lord? It would not be a “sweet smelling savor to Him” if we are not singing with understanding. It is so easy to get in the habit of simply mouthing the words. When we do this, we are not singing with complete understanding. We need to think seriously of what we are singing to Him. We need to think about the words we are offering up to Him. Of course, I think we appreciate that, while we are still living in the flesh, we are prone to having our minds drift, and it can be easy to fall into that pattern. Therefore, we need to get our minds back on Him and think about what we are singing. It is for this reason that I like to hear those leading the songs say a few words to help us focus our minds and hearts on the upcoming words we are planning to sing. Because we live in the flesh, it is helpful to remind us of the seriousness of our upcoming words.
However, there is another level where we may sing the song, but yet, we are not truly meaning it. This particular song can be especially meaningful, or not. Do our actions truly fall in line with prioritizing our walk with Him? Are we living in a consistent manner that shows we would indeed rather have Jesus than anything this world has to offer? Or do our hearts and minds reflect other priorities? In other words, are we truly meaning the words? If not, are we lying to the Lord? Are we committing the same sin that Ananias and Sapphira committed in Acts 5:1-11? Their lie was disastrous to their souls. If we also are guilty of lying to the Lord, it can be disastrous to our souls as well if we never repent and live consistent with what we are singing.
This is what I mean by being a “dangerous” song to sing if we do not mean it. Surely, this is one of the reasons that Paul urges us to “sing with the understanding.” Think about our words. Think about our motives. It is for this reason we should take our singing seriously and with great purpose. When we sing in the assemblies with our brothers and sisters (including Jesus as taught in Heb 2:11-12), we are doing something that should be very important to us and our lives. Our songs are not just there to fill the “spaces” in between other aspects of our public worship. They should be there with purpose and “understanding”, therefore, we should sing with purpose and understanding.
There are good reasons why I believe the Lord wants us to sing when we meet as well as in our private lives. Songs are to reflect the reality of the Lord’s working in our lives. Songs fill unique roles, that nothing else can provide.
1 Chronicles 16:8-13 8 Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 10 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! 11 Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, 13 O seed of Israel His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
