16hours

An overnight hit on the top 100 songs downloaded on iTunes (aka today’s quick and easy way to find out what the top songs in the US, and likely much of the world, are) is a lil’ ditty T.I. recorded with Rihanna as a guest called “Live Your Life”.

It’s catchy, and T.I. is incredibly talented, no doubt about it.  What I find interesting are the lyrics - here’s a small sampling:

 You’re gonna be a shining star, fancy clothes, fancy car-ars.
And then you’ll see, you’re gonna go far.
Cause everyone knows, who you are-are.
So live your life

A song like this has such a great beat and a sing-along chorus that it’s easy to not really think about the message.  There are various angles from which to scrutinize this song, but my chosen one is this– the message of this song is that you basically do whatever you have to do to have a good life, and a good life means money and status.  You get the clothes and the cars and people will talk about you, thus making you a shining star.

This is the “good life” for many, particularly the hip-hop world; yet does it line up with God’s word?  In Matthew Jesus tells the disciples that the last will be first and the first last, and explains elsewhere that to live a good life serve God and serve others. Nowhere does the Bible say to pursue expensive things- rather, again in Matthew , Jesus tells His disciples that it’s easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich (wo)man to enter the kingdom of God.  Being rich isn’t a sin; however, few rich people can properly steward their wealth and not make it an idol.  Add to this Jesus’ focus on humility, living His life in humble obedience to the Father and in service to others (a great passage on this can be found in Philippians 2 )and it’s hard to find any relevance in T.I.’s incredibly popular song to living the Christian life.

Now, I’m not an ascetic re: culture- I listen to “secular” music (I actually find a lot of “Christian” music rather repulsive- not all of it, but I have a personal rant about peopel thinking that saying they sing for God means they can make sub-par, wuss music with no artistic merit) and love Jesus with all of my heart.  Anyone can listen to T.I., but the main reason I engage in culture is to understand it.   I can listen to “Live Your Life”, assess it, enjoy the music but disagree with the lyrics and keep on livin’ my own life- I’m not suddenly going to abandon my faith and worship solely at the altar of money.  That said, this song jives with many people who do think that making a name for yourself and getting lots of money is what leas to happiness and contentment.  They are tragically wrong, because nothing in this world quenches our thirst for greatness other than pursuing and loving Jesus Christ, His Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Even more tragic, catastrophic really, is the sad truth that “health and wealth” preachers (Joel Osteen is the easiest and biggest target to aim for here) smile from their pulpits and tell people that God wants them to be rich, and it’s their lack of faith that keeps them poor.  Ironically, Jesus grew up in poverty and spent the three most important years of his life without a job and completely dependent on the mercy of others to keep him and his disciples clothed, housed, and fed.  It seems to me that if God’s will was for all to be rich then He Himself would have been rollin’ in the dough while He was living here on the earth… but I digress.

I hope, for T.I.’s sake, that  the Lord works in his life in such a way that he’ll realize that all of the money and the fame mean nothing, and whether he’s loved or hated by every last person in the world, it’s all empty and meaningless without a life lived solely for Jesus Christ and His glory.  And simply thanking God when he accepts his inevitable Grammy(s) doesn’t cut it.  Even more so I pray that the many who relate deeply to this song as their personal anthem will realize much the same, that Jesus Christ is the greatest treasure in all the world and nothing is more fulfilling than making His name great.

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