As a musician, with a wide range of musical tastes, I happened upon a verse in the Psalms that for me sums up best my prerequisites for writing. Understand that I'm not writing worship songs per say, but never the less I adhere to standards I hopefully deem acceptable to my christian values. This psalm, simple at first glance, yet surprisingly profound, for me, is a guide to maintaining a level of integrity in my music regardless of style.
Sing praises to God sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. Psalm 47:6-7
To understand understanding, my bible referenced 1 Cor. 14:15 where Paul is speaking about tongues and their fruitfulness or lack thereof. Verse 14 begins with "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful." Verse 15 follows with the example, " What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
Sounds simple enough! I've heard songs before that I not only didn't get but wondered if the guy's doing it got it. I need the understanding that my music, regardless of subject matter, adhere's to my Christian ethics. Also, on the flip side, I don't want misunderstanding to be a byproduct. Anything presentable to anybody through any means, and this goes way beyond music, I want to reflect my relationship to the Lord, or in the words of Paul, to be fruitful.
