This past week a song was lodged in my heart that seemed to be stuck on ‘repeat’, playing in the background of my mind. Whenever this happens, I have discovered that there is usually something in the song that the Lord wants me to hear. He is always communicating to us through His Son, and His means of communication are infinite.
Before I share the song with you, however, I’d like to draw your attention to a blog interview that I did last week. If you haven’t yet read this interview, I think you will be immensely blessed by it. You can read this interview by clicking here.
If I Die Young
Death is a huge part of our life in Christ. In the kingdom of God, our death is the catalyst to His life. According to the scriptures, Jesus was clear that we would have to ‘die’ in order to join His life. As I mentioned above, there has been a specific song that has been in my heart this past week that has reminded me of a couple of great realities of this death.
1. Our present tense ‘death’ to the flesh is contingent upon our knowing that we have already ‘died young’.
Let me be clear, we do not ‘die to the flesh’ by attempting to ‘die’ to the flesh, but by realizing and deeply knowing that we have already ‘died’ with Christ on the cross two thousand years ago. Knowing that we have already ‘died young’, so to speak, will prevent us from spending our earthly lives trying to religiously save our own lives.
Our knowing of the scriptural reality that we have already died with Christ acts as a ‘sharp knife’ that cuts short a long and miserable life filled with attempts to live as an independent individual with individual pursuits and individual dreams. Thankfully, we have died young, and we have been laid down into the beautiful river of Christ.
2. It is only when we ‘die’ that our lives and words have true significance and impact.
I have noticed something about individuals in the kingdom of God who seem to have great influence and impact on others. I have noticed that they have all been through very intense seasons of death to their own lives. Things have occurred that have caused them to lay down their own mind, will, and emotions, so they can lay hold of Christ’s life. As this death occurs, and the more that this death occurs, their words and actions seem to have much greater life and impact. In literature, the words of dead writers seem to carry more weight and impact than their words did when they were alive. I find that to be quite interesting. If that is true in the natural world, how much more true in the spiritual?
The Band Perry- If I Die Young
The Band Perry had a hit song titled ‘If I Die Young’ that went to the top of the charts in 2010. Because I have sensed the Lord communicating to my heart through this song recently, I thought I’d share the video with you. Take a few minutes and watch it. You will see a person being laid to death in a river, and then being resurrected to new life at the end of the video. I think you may see and hear the voice of Christ to your heart in this video as I have:
May we all die young by realizing that we have,
Jamal Jivanjee
Great post Jamal!
Jamal, very insightful points on a song that is very sweet. The gift of dying young is a gift I did not open until later. I pray this post, among your others, encourages youth to die young and allow the Lord to resurrect Himself in and through them.
The death then provides value to another race. I am thankful to be able to see the value the Lord is in you through your dying.
Thanks for sharing, brother. This is good stuff! The only stuff!
“It’s funny, when you’re dead, how people start listening.”
Thanks for sharing this insight!
Michael,
Thx for the comment. That is probably my favorite line from the song:)
“The sharp knife of a short life” These words have such meaning.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The Living Word is the is both death, and Life. Death to our perspective, nature, and fallen state. And Life, the Life giving Spirit to those who “in” and through the Word have died, and now Live. This Life is “in” and through Jesus Christ.
May His Word prosper, and may we have eyes to see, and ears to hear this Life Giving Spirit.
Great Post! My favorite line – ““It’s funny, when you’re dead, how people start listening.”