One of the songs I'm most excited about from our forthcoming c.d. is "Never Cease to Sing" (
which I posted an unfinished demo of a few weeks ago), the lyrics of which are driven by two of my major personal spiritual convictions: Christian Hedonism, and the practical day-to-day tension of living the balance of showing Spiritual fruit and operating in your Spiritual gifts.
"Will You open heaven and pour down Your blessings?
We are thirsty and broken down below.
When You open heaven the gifts and the fruit overflow!"
An "open Heaven" is a metaphor for God's favor and God's blessings, which we have in Christ, with which comes both various Gifts bestowed on us by the Spirit to empower us for ministry, and fruit, which the Spirit brings forth from inside of us for Spirit-filled life. We must remember that the Fruit are the vital signs of a true relationship with God - not the Gifts. That's just to say, if we are to throw around the word "Spirit-filled", let's be sure it's the real evidence of the Spirit we are talking about: love, as evidenced by joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Without those expressions of love in place, the gifts are worthless - merely clanging cymbals or resounding gongs - a bunch of noise. The gifts are truly that - gifts: Paul's letter to the Corinthians is proof that Spiritual gifts are no evidence of one's Spiritual maturity or nearness to God, as the Church in Corinth was a spiritual WRECK, and yet very active in the practice of genuine spiritual gifts.
I am praying that this simple pre-chorus in "Never Cease to Sing" will encourage a God-honoring, Biblical balance is the church's pursuit of God, in showing forth our fruit, and walking in His gifts.
So be it!