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The famed hymn writer Frances Havergal committed herself to Christ, and from that time she was given totally to serve Him. She enjoyed teaching Bible classes, visiting, counseling, and singing. She had a great desire to see others give their all to Christ, also.
One time she was staying in a house in London with ten other persons. Some of these did not confess to follow Christ; others were not totally committed to Christ. She began praying for these ten. After a week she was so excited about the change in her new friends that Frances could not sleep. So, instead, she wrote the words to the hymn "Take My Life, and Let It Be."
Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of Thy love,
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King,
Always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages for Thee;
Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my love, my God, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be ever, only all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Havergal's lyrics speak of the consummate meaning of Christian stewardship. Stewardship is usually associated with money. At other times it is linked with time and energy. Yet, Christian stewardship of these things, indeed, all we have, is founded in and consummated by a greater stewardship.
The greater stewardship is the offering of our selves. As Havergal wrote:
Take myself and I will be ever, only all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee
St. Paul spoke of this greater stewardship of self in the Book of Romans, using the sacrificial language his hearers would well understand:
1 So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy [or, kindness], I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. 2 Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.
*Romans 12.1-2, NCV
St. Paul gives us a view of living a "spiritual way ... to worship." This takes worship out of simply things we give or do for the Divine Presence and puts it foremost in giving our selves to God in loving devotion.
When St. Paul writes "to offer your lives," the Greek is an Aorist Infinitive. Charles B. Williams notes in Williams New Testament that the verb form implies a once-for-all commitment: "once for all offer."
Jesus, too, addressed the need for a decisive, determined, and persevering spiritual commmitment in the Luke Gospel:
61Then someone said to Jesus, "I want to go with you, Lord, but first let me go back and take care of things at home." 62Jesus answered, "Anyone who starts plowing and keeps looking back isn't worth a thing to God's kingdom!"
*Luke 9.61-62, CEV
The decision to give self to Christ is to be a firm decision, a final one, the follower of the Way being sure that the One who wooed her into the Way is the One who sustains her all along the Way.
23I pray that God, who gives peace, will make you completely holy. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept healthy and faultless until our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 24The one who chose you can be trusted, and he will do this.
*I Thessalonians 5 23-24, CEV
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I recommend the following exercise...
Meditate on the following words in silence, offering them them as prayer. Keep speaking the words inwardly, over and over, sensing their meaning and feeling the intent of such a gift of your self to Christ ...
Take myself and I will be ever, only all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee
*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his wife, Rocio, their two dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, and their fish, Hope, in Southwest Florida. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and inspires others to experience a deeper relationship with Christ. He advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and the renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons and empathic relating with diverse spiritual traditions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
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