HYMN FOR PENTECOST 5 Living for Jesus
- Gracia Grindal
- Jul 7
- 3 min read
Text: Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960) Tune: C. Harold Lowden (1883-1963)
1. 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.
R/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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
REFLECTION
The Good Samaritan. The title has gone down in history. Many are the organizations with the name Samaritan in them. For good reason, it has lost its original meaning—to be a Samaritan was to be an outcast to the religious leadership of Jesus’ day. Now it has come to mean someone who gives his or her all to serve the poor and indigent. And people do this because of this parable. The religious leadership, the priest and a Levite, pass by on the other side. A colleague of mine once laughed and said they could not stop because they were on their way to an important meeting on eradicating poverty.
Jesus' parable changes everything. The hymn for today, now somewhat lost, challenged the youth at large gatherings where they sang it with gusto, to live for Jesus—one could hear it as a challenge to be a good Samaritan—“bringing the weary to find rest in him!”
In my long ago youth, I attended many a Luther League convention where this was the most beloved song. Most of those youngsters have now gone on to their eternal reward, but their zeal to live for Jesus as they were challenged to do in these meetings, made a huge difference to them in their lives, to say nothing of the thousands they loved and served in the name of Jesus.
That is how Jesus rules today. We pray that God’s will “will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” His followers work to serve their neighbors in his name and this rattles the powers that be. Sometimes they strike out and martyr Christ’s followers, and sometimes they are changed by them. Those willing to suffer “affliction and loss” for his name sake went to all parts of the earth to bring his word to the needy. They have changed and continue to change the world. Tom Holland’s book Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World is a sweep through the past 2000 years of history showing how Christians “who made their hearts Christ’s throne” through the work of martyrs, missionaries and ordinary Christians living for Jesus, have changed the world. It is a thrilling and encouraging read.
HYMN INFO
C. Harold Lowden wrote this tune in 1915 for a text that was something of a trifle, he said. When someone suggested it should be used for a better text, he sent the tune to Chisholm who had not written a hymn text before. He rejected the request, but after Lowden continued to press him, he finally came up with this text. Chisholm had been born in Franklin, Kentucky, on a farm. He taught in local schools and began editing a paper. After a conversion experience in his mid-twenties he moved to editing a regional magazine, the Pentecostal Herald. He became a pastor in 1903. His goal was to include as much Scripture as he could in his hymn texts. One can see that in this text, but even more so in his more enduring hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness". Lowden continued writing hymn tunes until his death.
LINKS
Andrew Remillard--with the descant
Rosemary Clooney--start at 2:51
Old Fashioned Revival Hour Singers
A Cappella hymns—sing along
Eden Symphony Orchestra
Cedar College of Education Choir at KwaSizabantu Mission in South Africa.
Piano version
My book What a Fellowship is now for sale at FortressPress, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, plus.
Link to What a Fellowship
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