Cliche' - anything that has become trite or commonplace through overuse.
Trite - lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; hackneyed; stale:
Common cliche's
-Beggars can't be choosers
-Bigger they are, the harder they fall
-The early bird catches the worm
-Sread like wildfire
-Better late than never
Just because something is a cliche' doesn't mean that it is no longer true or relevant.
For some reason, when we hear something or see something over and over again it loses its effectiveness in our brains and we check out. It loses it's value to us.
Think of the first time you saw the ocean. Or the first time you saw real mountains. The first time you heard a song you really like. The first few months of a dating relationship. Your very first cell phone.
After a while we get used to these things and they're not as incredible as they were at first. They become normal. They've lost some of their value; their effectiveness.
The problem is that this is not only the case in these instances but also in our relationship with God.
For a lot of us, God is now a cliche'. Or maybe not God Himself but church, or worship, or praying, or having quiet time.
Especially for those of us who grew up in church, we've heard all the sermons, seen all the illustrations, heard all the analogies, read all the famous Bible stories, used all the Bible sayings. And to us they've become "commonplace through overuse."
We've been to so many church services and read our Bible so many times that it's began to "lack in freshness of effectiveness" It's become stale.
Phrases like,
"God is in control"
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
"Jesus loves you"
We say them all the time but do we really believe it? Do we really live like it's true to us?
When things become familiar to us, we get comfortable and we start to go through the motions and coast.
One area that I see this a lot that I am so passionate about is worship. A lot of our worship songs have become cliche's. Think about the song Amazing Grace. Everyone and their dog knows this song. You could probably sing it in hundreds of different languages in hundreds of different countries and they would be able to sing along with you. We've heard it over and over. Some of us are probably not the most excited when we hear it on a Sunday morning.
"Ah, this song again?"
You know you've had those thoughts don't act holy.
But think about the words in that song.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see
That is incredible!
Think about those words for a second without humming the tune in your head. Forget it's a song for a second and think about what those words mean.
There are so many worship songs that have incredibly powerful lyrics but after we've heard them so many times we don't think about the words anymore.
How great is our God
How great is our God
Sing with me, how great is our God
Amazing love how can it be
That you my King would die for me?
I'm so guilty of this. I will get tired of a song and every time I hear it I cringe. "Please not this song again." I forget about what the words are saying. I forget why we're singing it.
I think that's why God put things in His Word like,
Trite - lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; hackneyed; stale:
Common cliche's
-Beggars can't be choosers
-Bigger they are, the harder they fall
-The early bird catches the worm
-Sread like wildfire
-Better late than never
Just because something is a cliche' doesn't mean that it is no longer true or relevant.
For some reason, when we hear something or see something over and over again it loses its effectiveness in our brains and we check out. It loses it's value to us.
Think of the first time you saw the ocean. Or the first time you saw real mountains. The first time you heard a song you really like. The first few months of a dating relationship. Your very first cell phone.
After a while we get used to these things and they're not as incredible as they were at first. They become normal. They've lost some of their value; their effectiveness.
The problem is that this is not only the case in these instances but also in our relationship with God.
For a lot of us, God is now a cliche'. Or maybe not God Himself but church, or worship, or praying, or having quiet time.
Especially for those of us who grew up in church, we've heard all the sermons, seen all the illustrations, heard all the analogies, read all the famous Bible stories, used all the Bible sayings. And to us they've become "commonplace through overuse."
We've been to so many church services and read our Bible so many times that it's began to "lack in freshness of effectiveness" It's become stale.
Phrases like,
"God is in control"
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
"Jesus loves you"
We say them all the time but do we really believe it? Do we really live like it's true to us?
When things become familiar to us, we get comfortable and we start to go through the motions and coast.
One area that I see this a lot that I am so passionate about is worship. A lot of our worship songs have become cliche's. Think about the song Amazing Grace. Everyone and their dog knows this song. You could probably sing it in hundreds of different languages in hundreds of different countries and they would be able to sing along with you. We've heard it over and over. Some of us are probably not the most excited when we hear it on a Sunday morning.
"Ah, this song again?"
You know you've had those thoughts don't act holy.
But think about the words in that song.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see
That is incredible!
Think about those words for a second without humming the tune in your head. Forget it's a song for a second and think about what those words mean.
There are so many worship songs that have incredibly powerful lyrics but after we've heard them so many times we don't think about the words anymore.
How great is our God
How great is our God
Sing with me, how great is our God
Amazing love how can it be
That you my King would die for me?
I'm so guilty of this. I will get tired of a song and every time I hear it I cringe. "Please not this song again." I forget about what the words are saying. I forget why we're singing it.
I think that's why God put things in His Word like,
| Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. ... Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy- Psalm 33:3 |
Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song - Psalm 149:1
| Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.- Isaiah 42:10 |
| He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. -Psalm 40:3 I think God knew we would have this problem. That we would get bored with songs and need something new. |
That's why I love when bands come up with new versions of old songs. Because the words are still amazing. But it lost its effectiveness because we got so used to it. So you change it up and bring it back.
That's why I love different translations of the Bible. When you've heard the same verse a bajillion times and it's just words, check it out in the Message version or in the New Living Translation or even in the New King James version. Hearing it a different way makes the same verse new.
We have got to find ways to keep ourselves from looking at God and the things of God as cliché's.
I never want to feel or think in the back of my mind that my relationship with God is "lacking in freshness or effectiveness, because of constant use and repetition and become stale and commonplace"
Really think about it...
The God that created the universe loves you. You. The person who stands there joking around with your friends during worship and paying no attention to what's going on. You. The person who stares at the worship team with a blank stare and your hands in your pockets. You. The person who smoked pot before coming to church. You. The person who slept with your boyfriend/girlfriend last night.
Me. The person who got frustrated about what songs we were singing for worship because I was tired of them. Me. The person who had the thought of getting up to read my Bible this morning but decided to sleep in instead. Me. The person who says that I will do anything and go anywhere for God but doesn't tell the lady at the check out in WalMart about Him because I'm too busy. Me. The person who yells at the person who cuts me off going 60mph on i40.
He. Loves. Us. Anyway.
And what do we do when we come into His presence for worship? We stand there and check out because we heard this song last week.
We will go to concerts and go nuts when the band starts playing but stand there with a blank stare at the worship team.
It's not just about how good or bad the band is. If the band was terrible it doesn't mean that we don't need to enter into worship. If they're not playing your favorite song it doesn't mean that we don't need to enter into worship. If our favorite worship leader isn't playing this week doesn't mean that we don't need to enter into worship.
I've been on missions where the church is a room with a dirt floor and the only instrument is a guitar with 4 strings and the worship leader is singing the song in 3 different keys and none of them match what he's playing on the guitar.
I've been to a conference at a ginormous church with thousands and thousands of people where the band was incredible and the lights were awesome and the chairs were so comfortable and everything looked good and sounded good.
We should worship just as hard at the church with the 4 string guitar as we do at the conference!
God is the same in both places!
We should respond to Him with the same amount of reverence and excitement in both places!
What if we approached worship in a church service as if we were actually going to encounter God instead of as the background music for you to walk into church late to?
What if when we sang songs in church, the words were our prayers and thanksgiving to God because that's how much we need and love Him?
What if we didn't just go to church to go to church but we went expecting God to do something? What if we went to church because we just love to be in His presence? Because we can't get enough of Him.
I realize this post is kind of all over the place. Just needed to get this out before I exploded. Feel free to leave any thoughts you may have.
It's not just about how good or bad the band is. If the band was terrible it doesn't mean that we don't need to enter into worship. If they're not playing your favorite song it doesn't mean that we don't need to enter into worship. If our favorite worship leader isn't playing this week doesn't mean that we don't need to enter into worship.
I've been on missions where the church is a room with a dirt floor and the only instrument is a guitar with 4 strings and the worship leader is singing the song in 3 different keys and none of them match what he's playing on the guitar.
I've been to a conference at a ginormous church with thousands and thousands of people where the band was incredible and the lights were awesome and the chairs were so comfortable and everything looked good and sounded good.
We should worship just as hard at the church with the 4 string guitar as we do at the conference!
God is the same in both places!
We should respond to Him with the same amount of reverence and excitement in both places!
What if we approached worship in a church service as if we were actually going to encounter God instead of as the background music for you to walk into church late to?
What if when we sang songs in church, the words were our prayers and thanksgiving to God because that's how much we need and love Him?
What if we didn't just go to church to go to church but we went expecting God to do something? What if we went to church because we just love to be in His presence? Because we can't get enough of Him.
I realize this post is kind of all over the place. Just needed to get this out before I exploded. Feel free to leave any thoughts you may have.
2 comments:
This is amazing. I'm surprised you're not a pastor yet. but HEY. you're a life group leader and a mission trip leader! use your gifts Zu.
We are willing... He makes us able.
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