Lyrics for "Headfirst, Old Life Lost":
In this life, you have to choose.
You have to choose,
And the first choice you have to make
Is who to listen to.
God wrote a story. He wrote it for you.
He wrote it for you to listen to.
And if you listen close,
you will find that it is true.
Now, everybody else is talking, running their mouths,
And they’re lying to each other,
Until you don’t really know
Which one is your foe
and which one is your brother
They say, “Everybody holds to his own roads;
Nobody can grow his life straight like a cornrow,
So come walk for a while on the low road of pleasure
Where Everyman is doing well because he’s his own measure
“Then take your turn and stand with the learned
While they teach that right’s wrong and that sin won’t burn.
Then, finally, it’s not enough to talk,
So take your seat with those who look at God and mock.”
Friend, to choose them is to lose.
They will render you rootless, witless, and bruised.
But if you want to be firm, if you want to be smart,
If you want to have strength in your heart
To ford the rough rivers of life with assurance,
To face your fierce foes with grace and endurance,
To fight the good fight of faith and win
You must hear God’s voice and then leap in
Headfirst, old life lost,
Into His story, count that cost,
Knowing that the treasure you’ll find is worth more
Than any buried gold that you could dig for.
In fact, His voice, His Word, His Presence,
Are richer for your soul than the heart-warming essence
Of a homemade meal handmade by a loved one
And more satisfying than the touch of a spouse in the sheets.
So complete is His Word and His love
That it was His beloved Son who came from above,
Through whom all things were made
By whom each debt of ours was paid.
So pay close attention to the work Christ’s done
Dig deep, taste and see,
yearn and thirst for the One
You were made for; fix your heart to God’s Word, His Son,
And persevere; you have a race to run.
Why do all that? Good question, compadre!
It’s because when you choose to do things God’s way,
To listen to God’s voice, you become God’s choice tree.
As you’re rejoicing with your moist leaves
And you’re hoisting up your lush fruit for the one King
You will know that you owe it all to this one thing:
You will know that you grow from the seed of His death
And that every inch you rise is all thanks to the breath
By which God the Father raised Him up
After He drank for us that bitter judgment cup.
So now you drink deep from His eternal spring.
Every word from God’s mouth is an eternal thing.
And if you’re a King’s tree, clap your hands.
No matter your load, He will make you stand.
No matter your road, it’s the one He’s planned.
Trust His Word: the Christ took your reprimand.
So plant your roots and move your feet;
Someday soon Everyman the Judge will meet.
So if you find His grace even the least bit sweet,
Don’t stay in your orchard, get out on the street.
Though the blind men there who think they know the way
But really have no hope, no roots, might say
“Is that a tree walking ‘round?” and mock and laugh,
Remember: cross before crown,
shepherd’s crook before ruler’s staff.
If you choose to listen to Him
If you turn from yourself and your slumber of sin
If you cling to the Christ for your safety and worth
That should be proof to you that He chose you first
That He gave you new birth in a land that is dying
That when He comes to renew everything, you’ll be flying
By His side, glorified, not sleeping in the dust.
And forever He will listen as you sing to the one whose Word you trust.
He’s the one whose Word you trust,
the one whose Word you trust,
Oh, let Him be the one whose Word you trust.
(C) 2019 Nate Spanos