Musical Notes

Hello OCBC family,
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

In this passage, we see our position during the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ and the result of this. God looks at us as if we had died with Christ, and because our sins die with him, we are no longer in condemnation. We became one with Christ. We were dead in our sins, but now we are alive in Him. What a wonderful message for us. Nevertheless, we must crucify our sinful desires daily and follow our Master.

This is the message of this modern hymn, “My Worth Is Not in What I Own.”

“My worth is not in what I own,
Not in the strength of flesh and bone.
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross.

My worth is not in skill or name,
In win or lose, in pride or shame,
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross.”

This hymn was written as response to the contemporary culture that we are living in right now. Our modern society thinks that fame and strength of flesh are the purpose of life. But for the believers, our strength is in Christ alone.

The authors of this hymn are the Gettys, Keith and Kristyn, modern hymn writers, and their close friend, Graham Kendrick. The Gettys are from the United Kingdom, and even though we are living in a time where Christian music has poor theology, the Gettys have worked hard to prepare modern hymns with sound doctrine, and today’s hymn is the proof of that.

“As summer flowers, we fade and die;
Fame, youth, and beauty hurry by,
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross.

I will not boast in wealth or might,
Or human wisdom's fleeting light,
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross.”

The Gettys, in their new hymnal “Sing”, say this about their own hymn. “This hymn sets our focus on the cross as the place where we understand our full identity and value. It uniquely helps us to join the dots between the gospel and our time, talents, and treasure.”

“Two wonders here that I confess;
My worth and my unworthiness,
My value fixed, my ransom paid
At the cross.

I rejoice in my Redeemer,
Greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul.
I will trust in Him, no other;
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.”

Let the words of the apostle Paul echo in your own lives. “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:10).
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In His service,
Israel