Making the Change

We are called to be followers of the Most High King, saved and called into a life of obedience and
spiritual growth, so that we may reflect His glory. Jesus taught in John 15:
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Jesus uses that powerful analogy of being connected to the vine - we are the branches, and we receive life as we maintain and grow in that relationship.  But, if we decide to do things our own way, sometimes even putting a spiritual stamp on secular behavior, we end up not bearing the fruit that He would desire.  We don't act and ask God to bless; rather, we seek the heart of God and depend on the hand of God to direct us, so that He may receive the honor.

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Jesus is calling us to be His disciples - we have professed faith in Christ, and that has opened the door to a wonderful life of obedience to Him; as we grow, we have the capability to see more of the nature
of Jesus through us. Matthew 16 says:
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

This week, if you look over the Billboard gospel chart, you will see that the #16 song is called, Blessing Me Again.  It features a collaboration between Rance Allen and...no this is not a typo, Snoop Dogg!  The well-known rapper has released a gospel album, and he has included a number of well-known gospel music artists, including Shirley Caesar, Kim Burrell, and the Clark Sisters.

The Christian Post offered an article on the singer's declared transformation, and reported about Snoop Dogg's 16th album, Bible of Love:

Snoop explained why he wanted to make a gospel album, telling TV One, "It was just time to put my money where my mouth was and have it not be about money but about spirit. Give love to get love."

And, because of his past, there is an abundance of skepticism, it seems, and Snoop took the occasion of the recent Stellar Awards to confront his critics:

"The devil is a liar. I thought church was supposed to welcome sinners," he told TV One after taking the stage at the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, the oldest televised awards show honoring gospel music artists. "If you find someone trying to find their way back home, the natural thing would be to accept him with open arms. We not gonna throw stones while you trying to get right and walking back into the church house.

"That's what's running people away from church right now as we speak: We're trying to get people back in church with a different perspective of come as you are, show love. We show love, we give love," Snoop added. "What about you? Have you checked your status? Are you going to Heaven? Why are you judging me? How much have you done for the Lord?"

But, there is apparently much to overcome. The article says, "he...has an alarming history of crime and sexual exploitation."

Who knows what God is doing in this man's heart?  Sure, there are concerns, such as his close ties with smoking marijuana, and, according to USA Today, a multi-million dollar relationship with the cannabis industry.  But, there are some lyrics from a piece on the album called, Pain, which can be instructive, according to the article:

"A lot of times, you see me performing for thousands of people, filling their hearts with love and joy, not knowing that I'm going through so much pain," he intones. "But God knows everything, and I mean everything, that I'm going through."

CCM Magazine describes the album, Bible of Love, "surprisingly impressive."  The review states;

Launching the imprint All The Time Entertainment alongside with this release, Snoop has vowed to use it and his massive platform to “provide more opportunities for gospel music artists.” We’re not sure gospel music necessarily needs his help, but if he and his label continues to produce the type of positive, unifying messages and stellar sounds found here, we’ll be more than welcoming. Now that he’s got our attention, Bible Of Love leaves us with even more questions about this “character,” but namely, and after all this time: Are we all finally getting to know the real heart of Calvin Broadus, Jr.?

There is obviously the potential for something good to come out of this association with gospel music - and, as he says in that song to which I referred, "God knows everything...that I'm going through."

The question becomes, then, do we believe that God can truly change a person?  Is anyone beyond the saving hand of the Lord Jesus Christ?  Obviously, Snoop Dogg has been long associated with the things of this world, but who knows the nature of what God is doing in his heart.

We also know that change will not be instantaneous - yes, the heart is instantly transformed, born again, but that decision and that new life begins that process of sanctification.  This can be problematic when you have a high-profile person makes a profession of faith or who is beginning to do Christian things.  I remember a certain pop singer over three decades ago who recorded a Christian album and the expectation was placed upon him to exemplify the Christian life.  It doesn't necessarily work that way - for anyone!

Discipleship and accountability are two important factors - in order to point a person in the right direction and to challenge him or her to grow in Christ.  Since our behavior doesn't become perfect at the moment of salvation, we have to recognize that we are called into a growth process.  The Holy Spirit is more than capable of setting a person free from his or her past sins and shortcomings, in order to make that person an example who radiates the light of Christ.