Best New Artist of 2006 Aaron Shust returned with his third album, Take Over on August 4, 2009. The writer and singer of hit songs “My Savior My God,” “Give Me Words To Speak” and “Watch Over Me” once again has written songs of praise and worship set to a nice soft rock musical style. Fans of Bebo Norman, Jeremy Riddle, Jeremy Camp and John Waller should enjoy this album.

Opening song, “To God Alone,” is my favorite song on the album. The song has an uplifting message captured in the chorus: “To God alone be the Glory, To God alone be the praise, Everything I say and do, Let it be all for You, The Glory is Yours alone, Yours alone.”

I can imagine singing “To God Alone” in worship with fellow believers. The song has already made an impact on Christian radio charts, and if you like Aaron’s previous hit songs of worship, then you’ll also enjoy this new offering.

I had the great opportunity to interview Aaron about "To God Alone." You can listen to the entire interview here.

Please describe the background in writing the song "To God Alone.”

During the time of the Protestant Reformation of the Church, five “solas,” Latin for alone or only, emerged that summarized the basic theological beliefs of the movement. The fifth phrase was Soli Deo Gloria, which means “Glory To God Alone.” As a student of classical music, I grew up familiar with this phrase because many musicians who were contemporaries of this movement would write the letters S.D.G. at the end of their musical scores. Bach and Handel were among the notable composers. A friend of my Dad’s reminded me of this Latin phrase, and I immediately sang this melody in its English translation. Jason Ingram, the producer of my album, helped me co-write the rest of the song, and from the very beginning, we felt like were a part of something special.

Regarding "To God Alone,” what does the main message of the song mean to you personally?

How often do we see people at award ceremonies give thanks to God first and foremost or give thanks to God after a touchdown? I’m not sure we really understand what it means to give God ALL the glory. I want to be able to give God the glory in all aspects of my life: my worship, my time, my efforts, my money. What is my reasoning behind every decision I make? Is it to bring glory and honor to myself? Or is it for the glory, the positive attention of the One who deserves it? He is the Author of salvation, the Finisher of our faith, and the Atonement for our sins. How can we accept glory for ourselves? We may rise and have our moments in the sun, but we will fall. Only He remains steadfast.

Do you have any bible verses that tie in to the message of the song?

Romans 12:1-2 (MSG): So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Here are the lyrics:

Can You take me by the hand?
Can You use me as I am?
Break me into who You want me to be
When the time is finally right
Will You open up my eyes and show me everything You want me to see?
This life is not my own

To God alone be the Glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for You
The Glory is Yours alone
Yours alone

Take the offering I bring
You want more than what I sing
Can I give You every part of me?
Turn these pennies into gold
Take this life I call my own
Until I'm running after Your heart
I'm needing to let go

To God alone be the Glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for You
The Glory is Yours alone
Yours alone

We will rise and we will fall
But You remain after all
Your Glorious and Beautiful
Your Beautiful

To God alone be the Glory
To God alone be the praise
Everything I say and do
Let it be all for You
The Glory is Yours alone
The Glory is Yours alone
Yours alone
Yours alone

Like Aaron said, “I want to be able to give God the glory in all aspects of my life: my worship, my time, my efforts, my money.” This song and that Romans 12:1-2 passage really convict me to try to live out the words of the song “Everything I say and do, Let it be all for You.” As we start to prepare our hearts for celebrating the birth of our King Jesus try meditating on these words: “Take the offering I bring, You want more than what I sing, Can I give You every part of me?”