- Living for Jesus –
2 Corinthians 5:15, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again”
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Today I will share with you another favorite hymn of mine entitled “Living for Jesus”. The writer of this old hymn is Thomas O. Chisholm, born on July 29, 1866 in Franklin, Kentucky and educated in a small country school, and became its teacher at age 16. At age 21, he became associate editor of the weekly newspaper, The Franklin Favorite. In 1893, he became a Christian under the ministry of Dr. Henry Clay Morrison (future president of Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky. He moved to Louisville at the persuasion of Dr. Henry Morrison and became editor of the Pentecostal Herald. He was ordained a Methodist minister in 1903 and served a brief pastorate at Scottsville, Kentucky before resigning due to poor health. He wrote over 1,200 sacred poems over his lifetime, which appeared in many Christian periodicals. In 1909 Chisholm began his career as a life insurance agent in Winona Lake and Vineland, New Jersey. In 1923 at age fifty-seven, Chisholm wrote the popular song “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, which he submitted to William M. Runyan who was affiliated with the Moody Bible Institute and Runyan set the song to music. He retired in 1953 to the Methodist Home for the Aged in Ocean Grove, New Jersey where he died on February 29, 1960. I trust you will enjoy this favorite hymn as it speaks about how a believer in Christ Jesus should live every day for Him. Enjoy!
Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
Refrain
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, Didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, My heart shall be Thy throne,
My life I give, henceforth to live,
O Christ, for Thee alone.
Living for Jesus who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv'ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.
Living for Jesus wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.
Living for Jesus through earth's little while,
My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.
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Further reflection:
Psalm 90:10 tell us that, “The days of our lives are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” I once read that almost every culture on earth has a folktale about “three magic wishes". Most of us would feature a genie or some other mythical figure who grants the requests of a patron. Almost all of these tales end in tragedy. I suppose these stories come from the desire to have everything we want in this life; even though we’ve learned that we’ll always be frustrated in that pursuit. If anything, life teaches us that nothing in this world can satisfy us fully, for even if we gained the whole world we could eventually lose it. Among the most poignant of these stories is the tale of a stockbroker who encountered a genie on the way to the office. When offered a wish, the man asked for and received a copy of his local newspaper dated one year into the future. He hurriedly turned to the financial page, hoping to “make a killing” in the market. However, he found more than he had bargained for because on the opposite page he saw his picture in an obituary describing his death in an automobile accident the preceding day. My friend, life is so very short and very uncertain. We can’t know what the future will bring for us. We can only ask God to turn us away from the trivial and meaningless pursuits of this present world and direct our thoughts and heart in “Living for Jesus”, our Savior, Redeemer and Friend. So my brethren are we:
(1) Living for Jesus a life that is true?
(2) Striving to please Him in all that we do?
(3) Willing to suffer affliction and loss?
(4) Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem?
(5) Bringing the weary to find rest in Him?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your love for me. Thank you also for family, friends and for the gift of life itself, for it so very precious. Help me Lord Jesus to serve, honor, love and live each day for You, my Savior and Redeemer. Amen
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Jesus died for you – can’t you live for Him.
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