Monday, 1 August 2011

Mumford and Sons - Awake My Soul

I think this will be my 4th and final blog post on songs from Mumford and Sons debut album "Sigh No More". If you don't own a copy, I highly recommend it.

Awake my soul is yet another interesting song. As with the other posts I have written, I am not going to comment on every word or line, but just a little section of the lyrics.

In these bodies we will live
In these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love
You invest your life

The mortality of humanity is evident all around us, you only have to turn on the news, read the BBC website or check your twitter feed to see something about a famine, a murder, or a tragic accident. We do live in these bodies and die in these bodies, 1 in 1 people die. The Bible tells us our days are like grass, we are like a morning mist that passes away.
With this in mind, it no surprise that many of those who believe there is no God try live fast and die young, or seek as many pleasurable experiences in the here and now before they disappear into the darkness. That is a consistent way to live.

Two things for us to consider though. The first is from the title of the song and the line that follows:
Awake my soul
For you were made to meet your Maker
Our bodies do die, but we have eternity built into our hearts. We are made in the image of God. Our souls will go on beyond this life in the body. We were made to meet our Maker.
However much a person may deny it, the existence of God is a reality that we supress (Romans 1). We were made to know and meet our Maker. The creation around us shows His invisible qualities, His divine attributes. Supremely we see Jesus, the exact representation of His being. Jesus, the one by whom, through whom and for whom, all things were created, that includes you and I.
The question then arises, "Am I ready to meet my Maker?"
For Christians the wonderful truth is that because Jesus died and rose again physically, we have the promise of a new resurrection body, far greater than this earthly body, and we will live on the new earth forever enjoying our Maker. (See what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15).
The Bible also warns that those who do not know Jesus will also meet their Maker, but that it will not be a day of joy but a day of terror, because they will still have to bow the knee and confess with their mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, but they will not receive joyful life eternal, instead it will be just punishment.

The second thing I want to draw out briefly is the second half of the first quotation above.
There are many places where we can invest our love; spouse, children, family, friends, job, sports team, dreams, ambitions etc.
It is totally true isn't it, that where you invest your love, you invest your life? Whatever you love, you spend time on, you commit your finances to, you prioritise. In short, your actions betray your heart. Whatever it is that you love will be evident in your life.

What does your life show that you love?

This is something that has been cropping up in various places over the last year. The heart is the centre of the affections, desires and love in our lives. It is the heart the drives the will. You do what you want to do because your mind is controlled by your hearts desires.
So it is very true that wherever your love is invested, your life will be too.
Jesus makes it very clear in Luke ch10 that the summation of the law is this:

Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and love your neighbour as yourself

The reason this is the sum of the law is because if you love God and love neighbour your actions, your life, will be for them. Rules will not change behaviour because the heart is directs the will.
If you love God you will keep His commands. This is clear in 1 John. It is NOT if you keep God's commands you love Him. It's one-directional, because you love God, you will keep His commands, you will love what he loves and hate what He hates. You life will be invested in God because you love Him. "Where you invest your love, you invest your life" is a wonderful line, very profound.

The only place worth investing your love is primarily in God, because He is love; Father Son and Holy Spirit eternally existing in perfect loving relationship. Also because we were created out of the outflow of that love to meet out Maker and be drawn into that love. This will then flow out in love for other people.

Check out the song here

No comments:

Post a Comment