Over the last few weeks we at Sojourn Heights have been hearing about what it means for the people to God to live as a Redeemed Family. We've heard primarily from the book of Ephesians, covering various topics, including singleness and dating, marriage, and (this upcoming Sunday) parenting. The exhortations in Ephesians, and especially Ephesians 4 and 5, call us to holiness, especially in relation to unity in the body of Christ, our new life in Christ, and in walking in love with others. We're called to live sacrificially, live in the light of the gospel, and, what stuck out most to me these past few weeks; to look carefully at how we walk, making the most of our time we have. We shouldn't waste our lives.
As we examine our Christian faith in light of our culture, it would be very easy to be swayed into trying to achieve satisfaction in the things of this world. In a world that is saturated with darkness, it's a great encouragement to many to see the testimony and witness of others. This week, Andy Mineo was once again featured on Sway in the Morning, Sway Calloway's daily radio show on SiriusXM's Shade 45 station. (See the full interview at the bottom of this post.) As a Christian, Andy has pursued his craft, and is making the best use of his time. Listening to other Christians who rap, there are presented with numerous opportunities to display the glory of Christ, and to shape culture. It's no different for us in whatever profession or situation we are in.
Derek Minor's song "We Are The Champions", featuring SPZRKT, reminds us of this calling. "We Are The Champions" lends it's lyrics to the end of Romans 8, where Paul reminds Christians that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ, not even the hostility of persecutors or pain of difficult circumstances. The song also features lyrics that exhort other Reach Records artists, including Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, KB, as well as Andy Mineo;
Crae' doing fine
Tho' people hoping that he stumble'
Hard to get kicked off a mountain
When you fightin' to stay humble
Trip plantin' churches
T-Dot spittin' across the country,
KB going on missions, and Andy shapin' the culture.
It is sometimes difficult to be imitators of God when faced with pressures of our culture. We don't always want to walk in love. We are tempted by false teaching and associate with darkness. And, perhaps we are prone to be fearful of any hostility or persecution to lives lived displaying Christ's glory, and not our own. That is surely a mindset that is countercultural. But that's why we can be thankful for our redeemed family. They help us walk wisely, making the best use of our time. We can certainly give thanks to the Lord for that.
