Today is “Discernment in Music” (DiM) day here at Faithful Stewardship (2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (ESV)).

September 15, 2015. Today we’ll be taking a look at “My Story” by Big Daddy Weave which currently sits at #18 on 20theCountdownMagazine’s top 20.

The last review we did of a Big Daddy Weave song was “Overwhelmed“. I’m quite pleased to present this song today. This is an excellent song with Law and Gospel, sin and Grace. This song has our approval. I still would like to see a reference to repentance, but the song does stand on its own. I enjoyed listening to this song several times.

BDW Official Music Video

 

Lyrics (via KLove)

My Story

If I told you my story
You would hear hope that wouldn’t let go
If I told you my story
You would hear love that never gave up
If I told you my story
You would hear life but it wasn’t mine
If I should speak then let it be

Of the grace that is greater than all my sin
Of when justice was served and where mercy wins
Of the kindness of Jesus that draws me in
To tell you my story is to tell of Him

If I told you my story
You would hear victory over the enemy
If told you my story
You would hear freedom that was won for me
If I told you my story
You would hear life overcome the grave
If I should speak then let it be

This is my story this is my song praising my Savior all the day long

Publishing: © 2015 Word Music, LLC, Weave Country (ASCAP) / Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Open Hands Music (SESAC) (All rights on behalf of itself and Open Hands Music adm. by Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC)
Writers: Mike Weaver / Jason Ingram

Discussion

I have to admit, that when I first heard this on the radio, I was worried by the first line. My first thought was, “oh, boy… they are pushing the whole ‘your story might be the only gospel some people read’ nonsense”. I was so relieved to hear the chorus, though.

To tell you my story is to tell of Him.  The song reads as a response to someone asking the singer, “what’s your story”… or in a church setting, being asked to “share your testimony”. We took a look a while back at what it means to give a testimony. Some might still twist the meaning of this song into a suggestion that telling others about ourselves is the same thing as giving a testimony about God, such twisting should be easy to spot and correct. The focus should be on man’s sinfulness and Christ’s finished work on the cross.

I love the pre-chorus line, “If I should speak then let be” and how it leads right into the Chorus.

The Bridge is a refrain from the Hymn “Blessed Assurance” by Francis J Crosby (1873). Let us take a look at our assurance as recorded in the book of Hebrews, chapter 10.

Hebrews 10:11-18 (ESV) | Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”

17 then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Hebrews 10:18-25 (ESV) | The Full Assurance of Faith

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Amen. Now, the writer of Hebrews was quoting from the Prophet Jeremiah. Let’s check that out, too.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (ESV) | The New Covenant

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

That’s awesome. You see, the New Testament teaches us how to read the Old Testament, to see Christ in all of it. Jesus is our assurance of salvation, by Grace, through Faith.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV) | By Grace Through Faith

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Conclusion

I think this song is much stronger than “Overwhelmed” and I’d really like to see this song stick around a while. The Church still needs to do a better job of cleaning up our language whenever we talk about “giving our testimony”. Too often it becomes an excuse to brag as the foolish do (2 Corinthians 11) and point to themselves and their own accomplishments. That isn’t a testimony. We who are called as witnesses of the Grace of God are to testify of His Mercy and Grace to us in the suffering at the cross, the propitiation for our sin.

Romans 15:13 (ESV) ¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Amen.
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge