Spiritual Songs (Part 8 of 8)

C.S. Lewis suggested that “[I]t would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not to strong, but too weak….  We are too easily pleased.”  Our generation has trained itself to be pleased with  the short, the easy, the simple, and the shallow.  We want the shortcut to experiencing God.  We want a spirituality that is easy and simple.

Too many Christians live their lives in a state of arrested development.  When we begin our lives, we need milk not meat.  We need “Jesus loves me. This I know.”  Nevertheless, we should never become satisfied with this level of spirituality.  The author of Hebrews exhorts his readers to grow past the beginning stages of Christian living.  "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." (Hebrews 5:12-13)

God never intends us to be pleased with a childish spirituality, theology, or worship.  We must outgrow milk and desire meat.  Instead too many Christians live in a condition of arrested development.  We look not for meat, but for the latest flavored milk.  Our maturity comes when we adjust our image of spirituality from a mere experience to an appreciation of truth.  It means learning the talent of “worshipping the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Ps.96:9)

I will restate the point of this series.  The topic is not musical style.  The issue is musical content.  The exhortation is to pursue the truth in all its fulness.  Be not satisfied with partial spirituality in music.  Don't be pleased with easy musical experiences as a substitute for deep spiritual truth.  Stop building spiritual "mountains" in your sandbox when spiritual Everests exist in the riches of God's word.

In The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis presents a picture of heaven.  As the main characters enter it, they hear the refrain continually, "Further up, Further in."  This exhortation I leave with you.  We have not obtained a spiritual place of repose.  In Christ, our hearts cry "more."  Let me not be satisfies with the weak.  Let me not be easily pleased.  Let me go further into the knowledge of Christ.  Let Christian worship be an expression of the fullness of Christ and our yearning to know more of Him.

(Continued next week)