The Music of “LIFE”
Series:
“Living For Jesus…”
Ephesians
singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord;”
Romans
14:6a, 7 – “He that regardeth the day, regardeth
it unto the Lord;
and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it.
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to
himself.”
We might say, it is just too hard to live the Christian life! I try, I fail, I try, I fail…So the question is,
are we ‘trying’ in our own strength, or the
strength of Jesus?
Galatians
Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
Having identified ourselves with the resurrected Christ, we are not alone
in living this Christian life! We
live daily by the power of His resurrection. It is His strength we draw upon. It is His Spirit that resides within
each one of us…that we might progressively and consistently learn to walk and
Live for Jesus.
The Christian
Life is not an easy road, but it is a road that is filled with God’s presence
and a life that rewards those who honor and obey Him, with immeasurable,
incalcuable blessings. Certainly,
we enjoy God’s blessings, but
far
surpassing any earthly joys we may receive for ourselves, we are pleasing the Lord. We have fellowship with Him. The hymn writer confirms
this:
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.
The hymn writer shows us that the life we live should be one of Truth; one that pleases God, notice, he says, “in all” that he does. He gives up his rights to himself and places his loyalty, his allegiance, his reliance upon God. And, his attitude: a heart that is not only yielded but delights in surrendering to God’s will and direction for him.
I Corinthians
“What? Know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not
your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and
in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Verse 2 of this well-loved hymn shows a deep and intimate understanding of the
motivation in the heart of the hymn writer
to LIVE for Jesus.
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.
Thomas O. Chisholm, who penned these words, agreed with God: he was a sinner! He believed and trusted in Jesus’
finished work on the Cross when Jesus took his place: his punishment; his
torment and humiliation; his separation from God…by shedding His blood on
And what about us? Jesus
died for us, too. Do we agree with
Chisholm’s response to God’s great love for us? We have a personal Savior and a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ, once we have
called on Him to be our Savior.
Jesus might ask
us, “Are we living for Him?”
In verse 3, Chisholm talks about the affliction and loss, the
trials we may be allowed to bear for the
sake of Christ in this life.
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.
His response: this is a ‘Part of my
cross’, he says. He accepts all from
the Master’s hand as fitting and right for him to bear.
And in the 4th
verse, he sees life as a short time.
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.
In that time, having given his rights over to God, he sees his “dearest treasure” as “the light of His smile;” He sees his duty is to seek the lost ones Christ died to redeem, bringing the weary to find rest in Him.”
What is our dearest treasure?
Certainly, we would say, we love God. We acknowledge we don’t deserve His
grace, His salvation, or a place in Heaven waiting for us. But, we must needs examine our
lives; we must needs ask God to show us what He sees in our lives that might possibly
be taking precedence over Him.
If we ask Him, it
is in accordance with His will and
He WILL answer; we can be sure He will! If we really mean business with
the Lord, we need to face His truth about us concerning that particular thing we
treasure, that which we hold dear,
and then completely remove this idol from taking God’s rightful place in our
lives.
Oswald Chambers said this: “…you are responsible
for other souls spiritually before God.” If you or I deflect in any way from God
in our life, everyone around us suffers.
He goes on to give some examples of deflecting from God: “When
once you allow physical selfishness, mental slovenliness, moral obtuseness,
spiritual density, everyone belonging to your crowd will
suffer.” [My Utmost for His Highest, February
15].
[B] I Thessalonians
5:8-11
says,
“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet,
the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our
Lord Jesus Christ,
Who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together
with Him.
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as
also ye do.”
Chisholm concludes the chorus of this hymn by
saying,
“I own no other Master,
My heart shall be Thy throne,
My life I give, henceforth to
live,
O Christ, for Thee
alone.”
I conclude as I began, with Romans
14:6a, 7 –
“He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord;
and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not
regard it.
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to
himself.”
“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.”
March 3, 2007
Devotional
Prepared by Mercedes S.
Whelan
For