Renaissance Man Devotional: Higher Level
In the song “Higher Level” featuring JusThoughtZ, we are exposing our fear to/lack of trust in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Both verses address our need to do things in our own way rather than relying on our trust of the Lord to provide for us our needs and fulfill His promises. The point of getting to/going to a higher level is getting over ourselves and allowing Jesus’ work on the cross to fulfill its purpose.
The scriptural foundation for this song is Proverbs 3:5-8 which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” Since we do not visually see God standing in front of us, we often times place Him in this mystical box in the sky that we know is there; but, isn’t necessarily accessible. Because we compartmentalize God, we have a tendency to try and do life without Him.
I say in my verse in the song “spending countless hours trying to justify the sin in me” as a point of recognizing that I am a sinner; but, rather than acknowledging my sins before He who died for them, I would rather minimize them or justify why I continue to engage in them. This is counter to the direction in the passage where it says to “be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil” (v.7). By the end of my verse, I realize that my way isn’t working and I need to take things to ‘next’ level. If you really think about it, I am sure you can recognize times in the past (or even at present) when your way just isn’t cutting it. The point of this song is to take yourself out of the equation and “Trust in the Lord with all your heart . . .”
Listen to the song and let the message soak in. Then, during your quiet time with God meditate over Proverbs 3:5-8. Pray that you can get out of your own way and truly place your trust in Him.
