"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Saturday, 4 February 2017 with "Take My Life, That I May Be" (ELW 685)-------
"Take My Life, That I May Be" (ELW 685)
1. Take my life, that I may be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
not a mite would I withhold;
take my intellect and use
ev'ry pow'r as thou shall choose.
5. Take my will and make it thine,
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is thine own,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store;
take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.
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"Every breath we breathe is a gift from God and an opportunity to make the world a little better." I don't know when I first heard that statement, but I have found myself thinking it and saying it all the time. The way I see it, our life is not ours--but it belongs to God. Therefore, our very existence and who we are is a gift, and that gift is a calling to use our life for the sake of the world. I truly believe that we as the church have the power to change the world and that only happens when we live as Christ calls us to live.
The writer of the hymn "Take My Life, That I May Be" seems also to understand that our lives are a gift and expresses that in this beautiful hymn of commitment to God. In response to the grace and mercy that God has given us, we are invited to share our very being with God for the sake of the world. Easy? No. Necessary? Absolutely.
Gracious God, you call us to live for you and you alone. Set us free from that which binds us so that our response to your calling will be "Yes," and so that our lives will be lives that exist for you. Amen.
Justin A Grimm, '05
Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop for Next Generation Ministries, Saint Paul Area Synod
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1. Take my life, that I may be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
not a mite would I withhold;
take my intellect and use
ev'ry pow'r as thou shall choose.
5. Take my will and make it thine,
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is thine own,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store;
take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.
-------
"Every breath we breathe is a gift from God and an opportunity to make the world a little better." I don't know when I first heard that statement, but I have found myself thinking it and saying it all the time. The way I see it, our life is not ours--but it belongs to God. Therefore, our very existence and who we are is a gift, and that gift is a calling to use our life for the sake of the world. I truly believe that we as the church have the power to change the world and that only happens when we live as Christ calls us to live.
The writer of the hymn "Take My Life, That I May Be" seems also to understand that our lives are a gift and expresses that in this beautiful hymn of commitment to God. In response to the grace and mercy that God has given us, we are invited to share our very being with God for the sake of the world. Easy? No. Necessary? Absolutely.
Gracious God, you call us to live for you and you alone. Set us free from that which binds us so that our response to your calling will be "Yes," and so that our lives will be lives that exist for you. Amen.
Justin A Grimm, '05
Director for Evangelical Mission and Assistant to the Bishop for Next Generation Ministries, Saint Paul Area Synod
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