Starting Right
Starting Right is a 5 minute Day Starter to help keep you motivated, encouraged, and focused throughout your day. DannyMac is a pastor, teacher, motivational speaker, husband, and father. His years of leading and training people have given him vast experience in helping individuals to accomplish change in their lives and meet their goals. He can help you set the course for your day by offering practical advice from God's Word in a positive and fun way. There is no better way to begin your day than by Starting Right with DannyMac.
Starting Right
Music Monday With I Can Only Imagine
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What would you do if you met Jesus face to face? That single question is the engine behind MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine,” and it’s the question we sit with on today’s Music Monday as we take a closer look at why this Christian song continues to move people decades after it was released. I’m not just talking about a great melody or a famous chorus. I’m talking about the way these lyrics pull us into wonder, awe, and a hope that feels bigger than our daily stress.
I want to thank all of our listeners as I am continuing to work on recovering from the stroke I suffered. I will present some new episodes as my voice and speech get stronger. I appreciate your prayers and patience as we present many of our previous episodes during my recovery. This episode is one of our most popular of all-time. Enjoy!
Keep praying. Keep believing. And keep praising God. He is with you.
Welcome And Daily Five-Minute Focus
SPEAKER_00Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with Danny Mack. I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great five-minute start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and let me help you start your day right. Welcome to Music Monday, everybody. And today we're going to talk about one of the most significant and powerful songs that have come out in the last 50 years. It's a song by Mercy Me, I Can Only Imagine. And without a doubt, this is one of my favorite songs of all time. No matter what genre you're talking about, this is one of the truly significant ones for me, and I think for many people around the world. So today we're going to take a look at this song and allow me just to do something a bit different. Let me ask you the question that the song forces each one of us to ask ourselves What will it be like when you meet Jesus face to face? Let's take a look at I Can Only Imagine. The song begins with these words I can only imagine what it will be like when I walk by your side. Have you ever wondered what it will be truly like to stand in the presence of Jesus? The anticipation, the wonder, the awe. It's a sentiment that many of us share. It will be completely unlike anything we've ever experienced before. But I too wonder, what will it really be like? Well there are some scriptures that help us to understand a little bit of what it will be like. In the Book of Revelation, chapter twenty one and verse four it says this He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. Just imagine for a moment that overwhelming joy of being in the presence of the one who can wipe away every tear, where pain and sorrow cease to exist, and the hope that comes from that echoes beautifully throughout this song. It goes on and says, Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel? Will I dance for you, Jesus, or in awe of you be still? Again the lyrics stir this moment of joy and reverence that we're going to feel in our hearts when we stand face to face with Jesus. Will we dance before him with uncontrollable joy? Or will we be overwhelmed and completely in awe of him? Both of those profound emotional expressions are things that we might experience, and they are both legitimate as we stand before Christ. It's through these words in the chorus of the song that it beautifully captures this anticipation that what awaits us is beyond our wildest dreams and our imagination. Our finite minds cannot fully grasp the splendor of what God has prepared for those who love him, and yet we will be there in his presence. The words go on Will I stand in your presence? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak it all? Picture this. Standing in the radiant presence of Jesus, perhaps so overwhelmed that your knees buckle and bow, and your voice is caught up in a symphony of hallelujah. As I think about that glorious picture of what might be, I am in awe of God even now before I even get there, and that's part of the impact of this song. Revelation twenty two five says, And night will be no more. There will be no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. When we are in the eternal presence of our Creator, there will be no need for the sun or the moon, because Jesus Himself is our everlasting light. This is a promise of perpetual day in the presence of the one who is the light of the world. This incredible song takes us on a journey of wonder, faith, and hope. It's a beautiful reminder that our imagination falls short of the glory that awaits us when we finally meet Jesus face to face. I'm going to leave you today with just a short clip of I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me, and then as usual, in your show notes today there will be a link to the YouTube version of it. It really is a beautiful and powerful song. And just a thought for you today as well. Maybe there's a Christian friend of yours that's going through a tough time. They're struggling to find hope and peace and direction in some area of their life. Maybe the words of I Can Only Imagine could be of some strength to them today, and maybe you could share it with your friends as well. So my friends, keep the faith. I hope you have a wonderful day, and we will talk again tomorrow.
SPEAKER_01Surrounded by your glory, one will lastness for Jesus.
