‘Glory be to God. I claim this victory in the name of the Lord.’
‘I want to thank God for everything He’s accomplished for me, everything that He’s went through with me.’
These words were spoken by Chance the Rapper at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, as he accepted multiple awards. Chance identifies as a Christian, and this is made clear by his many public performances (awards shows, late night shows [like Jimmy Fallon], etc.). I cannot say for sure that he is–it’s not necessarily my place to know that–that’s not what I’m talking about here. But I do think that it is awesome that he publicly proclaims the name of the Lord, and practically turns his public performances into worship sessions.
The reason I really wanted to bring this particular event to mind is simply because of what Chance said in his acceptance speech. It is such an incredible gift that God blesses us with talents. BUT we should use these talents to bring Him glory. And we should point all of our victories and blessings back to Him. When we accomplish anything, point all eyes back to Him–not to yourself.
‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.’ [Romans 12:6]
‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.’ [1 Peter 4: 10]
These verses state that we all are given gifts/talents–it’s a fact. It may take some of us longer than others to figure out what those gifts are and how to use them, but when we do, we need to use them to serve God and others.
Chance the Rapper infuses Christian beliefs and thoughts into songs like ‘How Great’ (which includes lyrics from Chris Tomlin’s ‘How Great is Our God’), ‘Blessings’, and ‘All We Got’. His songs may not all reflect Christian values, but the fact that a few of them do is quite great, and I truly hope that his future mixtapes and songs reflect his beliefs even more. Someone with so much influence (being in the spotlight and winning awards) could really be a light to his listeners. I hope and pray that he keeps pointing all the glory back to God.
thanks for reading,
erinn victoria
p.s. I know this seems like it’s quite different than other posts, but I think it’s important to stay relevant and see His presence in our society today.