Renaissance Man Devotional: The Purpose
When I first set out to record this project, my desire for how it would eventually turn out is nothing like what the final product came to be. Letting God guide progress will often result in an end product much different than what we plan. And so it was with “Renaissance Man”. I prayed early on that God would shape and mold this album to be what He intended it to be; and, as usual with God, the result is nothing short of phenomenal!
Because the music is only a tool, I have put together this short devotional study and companion guide so that the message could be made front and center. Artistically, I absolutely want you to enjoy the quality and creativity that went into the making of “Renaissance Man.” But on a higher level, through my experiences and observations, I also want you to be able to see God and why I cherish my relationship with Him.
So as you are listening to the album or watching any of the videos, I also hope you will take time to follow along in this guide. My prayer is that through the music and His word a seed will be sown into your own relationship with Him.
THE PURPOSE
Merriam-Webster defines the word ‘renaissance’ as a period of new growth or activity. In Christianese, we call that a “revival” which is defined as a period of new religious interest.
The goal of this album was to be a catalyst or a spark for renewed interest in how great our God really is! Traditionally, a renaissance man is one who is interested in, and knows a lot about many things; however, I used the title “Renaissance Man” to represent my role as the vessel through which this spark would travel and be received.
I meditated over several different passages of scripture while putting this project together to include Hosea 6:1 and 1 Corinthians 2:9. The one passage, however, that embodies this project and its intent the most is Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
The context for this verse is that David had lusted after and had relations with Bathsheba; and, attempted to cover his blunder my murdering her husband. In this Psalm, David is crying out in repentance. I see our condition as Christians today as much as David’s condition then: We lust after the things of the world and we go out to fulfill ourselves with them. And then to cover up our sins, we minimalize the church [universal] and try to change the rules in order to justify our actions.
David’s Psalm is written in a purposeful way which recognizes the sin, requests Gods mercy and gives a response of thanksgiving. I believe the songs on the album are written intentionally to serve the same purpose and meaning – falling as a whole under the umbrella of Psalm 51:10. In essence, David is coming to God in full repentance and showing a “renewed interest” in restoring the right-thinking/steadfast spirit within. That is what I hope “Renaissance Man” will help the listener to do: through the experiences and observations highlighted in the different songs we can recognize the sin, come to God in full repentance and renew ourselves with thanksgiving to His grace.
Commit Psalm 51:10 to memory as you experience the entire album. Recall it and meditate on it as you think about the words and situations that are being presented through the music. And then when you have listened to the entire album through to the end, enter into prayer with Psalm 51:10 on your heart as you recognize your own personal sin, repent and request God’s mercy and respond with thanksgiving.
Listen to “Renaissance Man”