We will be learning a new song this week. “We Give You Thanks” by All Sons & Daughters\u00a0is a simple and potent song of thanksgiving and adoration. But first a quick note.<\/p>\n
Songs that have lots of words, like many of the older hymns we sing are so theologically rich that, oddly enough, we can too easily err by singing them strictly from our head. In other words it can be easy to sing so many words and only\u00a0think about the words\u00a0themselves<\/em>. On the other hand, songs with few words and more repetition may\u00a0tempt us to err the other way. We can sing the same thing over and over, simple phrases, mindlessly\u2014without thinking about what or\u00a0to whom we are singing.\u00a0The correct place to be is neither exclusively wrapped up in our own minds\u00a0or in our fickle emotions. Rather, true worship must flow from thinking true thoughts about God into genuine affection (emotion) for Him.\u00a0It is true if you don’t think true thoughts about God (I’m talking about lacking good doctrine here), true worship will be much more elusive. However, it is also true that if we are\u00a0thinking true thoughts that never stir our affections, we haven’t as firm a grasp\u00a0on that truth as we thought.<\/p>\n All of that to say, the new song is simple. It is repetitive. Don’t check out while you are singing it. Don’t shut your mind out of your heartfelt worship and don’t shut your heart out of your thoughtful worship. Jesus commands us to love Him with ALL OUR HEART AND ALL OUR MIND<\/em>, not just one or the other.<\/p>\n