The past year has featured welcome returns from standout female Christian artists, with great new songs by Rebecca St. James (“Shine Your Glory Down”), Charmaine (“Run”), Rachael Lampa (“Remedy”), Ginny Owens (“Before You Fly”) and now plenty more from Dove Award winning artist Jaci Velasquez as she releases her new album, Diamond.

I have loved Jaci’s songs “On My Knees”, “Crystal Clear”, “Adore” and “God So Loved” since they released, and her return is one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Velasquez has sold almost five million albums around the world, recorded three Platinum and three Gold albums, and recorded 16 singles that hit No. 1--plus six more that hit the Top 10. She has received seven Dove Awards, including Best New Artist and Female Vocalist of the Year.

Jaci Velasquez recently released “Give Them Jesus,” her first Christian single in over four years. The song is a fast-paced guitar-driven track similar to her hit single “Show You Love.” Jaci has always played encourager, and her songs have been powerful in the area of motivating people to take action on their beliefs. I had the great opportunity to interview Jaci about her catchy new single “Give Them Jesus.”

Please share the personal message behind the song “Give Them Jesus.”

That was the last song that came into the mix in the process of recording this album. When I listened to it initially, I liked that it had a missionary message. Not everyone can take missions trips and for me, we’ve been really blessed that we can take trips and have opportunities to meet people in other countries and tell them about Jesus. My husband and I have been telling our two little sons about Jesus, and I pray every night that they each have a healthy fear of God. My prayer and hope is that we leave behind the legacy of our children loving and sharing Jesus. That’s my prayer. We have a relationship with Jesus. Talking about “Give Them Jesus,” that’s everything from the big to the small. Not everyone can take missions trips, but people can be a smile or light in someone’s life. Be there for friends in need or in pain. Be there for orphans. In Honduras, my husband has a foundation with a clinic and orphanage for children. All of those things are giving people Jesus.

Please tell me about any Bible verses that connect to the song. Any life verse?

Luke 15:3-7: Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

What's the take-away message for listeners about this song and your new album Diamond?

Be there. Be that light and joy in someone’s life. Pay someone a nice, sincere compliment. When I think about the message of this song, I think about that Bible passage about how Jesus cares about each of us individually. To Jesus, it all comes down to one person. If we leave this earth and all we’ve affected is one person, that’s a blessing. The album is called Diamond because I went through a very tough time personally about seven years ago. I was trying to figure out who I was in Christ. I really felt like God was done with me, and maybe I had nothing more to give and I was damaged. There were many moments where God showed Himself to me over and over again and He took me from broken and turned me into something beautiful. Not physically, but he turned me into a wife and a mom. He turned my life into something precious like a diamond.

When I talk to young women, I tell them that God has a plan for them. They aren’t broken, they aren’t damaged--they are beautiful. Just wait, that beauty will show itself and you’ll shine brighter than you can possibly imagine. Not the way you think, but the way God sees us. God gives us gifts of life. They say that they look for diamonds with all the imperfections as they are the most expensive. The diamonds that sparkle the most have flaws and imperfections and that’s what makes them sparkle the most. We’re not called to be perfect. We’re called to strive to be like Jesus.

Lyrics:
I want to cross a border line,
And walk on dusty floors,
Give up two weeks of my life,
Feed the hungry, clothed the poor.
I want to drive up to a homeless man,
Or holding up a sign,
Hand my only twenty,
God Bless him as I say goodbye,
But more than this.

I wanna give ‘em hope,
I wanna give ‘em peace,
I wanna give the greatest of these,
give ‘em love, love,
I wanna tell the truth and lead them to the light,
And tell them everything will be alright,
Give them love, give them Jesus.

I wanna walk with something with someone,
I wanna listen to their pain,
Be a shoulder they can cry on,
I found they’ll never walk away,
But more than this.

I wanna to change the world,
Make it a better place,
But is it really,
Ready if they never really know,
Really know,
Real hope,
Real peace,
Or the greatest of these,
Real love, love.

IVP’s Bible commentary: “The parable pictures God's desire to find sinners and bring them back into the fold. Thus the owner throws a party, asking his neighbors to celebrate with him since the lost sheep is found. In the same way, Jesus says, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. When a sinner turns to God, heaven throws a party. The prospect of such joy keeps Jesus associating with sinners. Recovering a lost sinner can take diligent effort. But the effort is worth it when the lost is found. Sinners should know that God is diligently looking for them. Disciples should diligently engage in the search for sinners on behalf of the Master they serve.”

As Jaci and I discussed the song and the message, we talked about how we are commanded to love others by Jesus. This song challenges me to think about how well I am loving others. 1 John 4:19 says “We love because He first loved us.”

In Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love on page 94 he writes: “I was challenged to do a little exercise with these verses, one that was profoundly convicting. Take the phrase love is patient and substitute your name for the word love. Do it for every phrase in the passage. By the end, don’t you feel like a liar? If I am meant to represent what love is, then I often fail to love people well. Following Christ isn’t something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side. It is not a label we can display when it is useful. It must be central to everything we do and are.”

As you listen to this great song by Jaci, think about how well you are loving others and try to live out the words to this song: “I wanna tell the truth and lead them to the light, And tell them everything will be alright, Give them love, give them Jesus.” Amen!