Take my silver and my gold
Not a mite would I withhold
Take my intellect and use
Ev’ry pow’r as Thou shalt choose

Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated 1874
By: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we continue our journey through this classic text and hymn, think about what it will mean to sincerely offer each part of your life and your entire life to God. It requires diligence and intentionality. Thanks for joining us in this grand pursuit. Let’s think about this.

What I Think

If you do not view yourself as possessing great intellectual prowess you might be tempted to diminish this commitment. Not so fast my friend. We are truly addressing the thought-life here and the impact it has on your living.

There are far-reaching implications on the way you live based on how you think. Allowing God to have control of your intellect shapes the decisions you make and the things you do. That is what we are aware of as we commit our intellect to God.

We must be diligent because of minds are battlefields. The forces of good and evil are ever waging war there, if not subtly. If we are not careful, we can loose the battle before we have even begun. We must be cautious as to what is shaping the way we think.

Take my intellect and use

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

From our money to our minds, we are called to put our resources to use for Christ. Have you committed your intellect to God. Maybe you do not feel like you are wise, but the question remains. Will you commit your thought life to God bringing Him glory where no one else sees?

You may not consider yourself an intellectual and so assume you can take a pass on this one. You can’t. Your thought life must be consecrated to God because it shapes much of your attitude and behavior. So, no passes. Consecrate your thought life to God today.

RESONATE!

Take a few moments and assess your thought life. Are you diligent or lazy when it comes to the way you think? If you are not working to use your thoughts to glorify God, the enemy of your soul may very well be slowly undermining your confidence in Him. Pray this simple prayer, “Spirit, I consecrate my intellect today.“

What I Do

Our thoughts shape what we do. Having committed our intellect, our minds to God, we can assume there will be actions that will flow out of those thoughts. We commit before we know what those actions will be, offering them to God to use however He might choose.

Stop and imagine some of the things that might flow from your consecrated intellect. Some of it may be very beautiful. Some powerful. It will not be all butterflies and roses, but it will all have a positive impact on the world around you. It will likely be very surprising when you experience what God does through you, but at the same time it will make sense as it flows out of how He is remaking you.

When we commit our intellect to God we are yielding the control of it in that moment to Him. Have you gotten to that place where you are ready to make that commitment? Is there something holding you back? Sort through those thoughts and commit all the rest to God.

Ev’ry pow’r as Thou shalt choose

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV

Our thought life is reflected in our actions so they will be revealed. Allow your wisdom to help you make the best use of your time with a constant awareness that the days we live in are evil so we must be careful how we walk. Commit your intellect to God.

How will God use your mind? To shape your perspective and your actions. When you have dedicated all your mental powers to God you will think about things very differently because you will be yielded to His influence. Embrace the blessing of consecrating your mind to God.

RESONATE!
It is so important to offer your intellect to God so that your mind can be prepared to be used for His glory. When you mind is prepared you actions are more likely to follow suit. Pray simply, “Lord, I yield my mind to Your influence.” Then keep praying and watch Him use every intellectual power as He chooses.

Lord I commit my intellect to You. Use every power however You choose. Help me to be diligent in offering them to you routinely. In Jesus name. Amen.

Intellectual Thinking!

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Image Attribution
Take my intellect and use – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/brain-mind-psychology-idea-drawing-2062057/
Ev’ry pow’r as Thou shalt choose – https://pixabay.com/photos/mind-beutiful-butterfly-2567460/

Take my voice and let me sing
Always only for my King
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee

Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated 1874
By: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we continue our journey through this classic text and hymn, think about what it will mean to sincerely offer each part of your life and your entire life to God. It requires diligence and intentionality. Thanks for joining us in this grand pursuit. Let’s think about this.

What I Don’t Say

In a similar way to the first stanza, the writer seems to be asking God to leave his lips alone. But that is only if you take this phrase as a fragment and separate it from the full thought which includes the next phrase. That creates a very different idea by describing that which the writer wants his lips to be filled.

Let’s take a slightly different angle on it for this first part though. What if we think about it more in terms of what our lips do not say, or should not say. For the context on the scripture below we might call it bad fruit.

See, our lips will probably be used to say some things. We have to make choices as to what those things will be, and what they will not be. It we are asking God to leave our lips alone, we are asking Him effectively not to use them for His purposes. That would be a tragedy since we made them, but sadly that is often how we use them: for our own purposes and not for God’s.

What this means is that what I do not say is often the very thing I should be saying: the praises of God.

So what is true of you? By the way you use your lips every day are you effectively asking God to leave your lips alone so you can use them however you please? Or will you commit your lips to His purposes, way and messages? It is an important distinction.

Take my lips and let them be

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15 ESV

Not only should we use our singing voice for God’s glory but our speaking voice as well. We must commit to honor God with not only every note we sing but every word we speak. We should continually offer Him the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name. We use our lips for other purposes often, so learn to be quick to ask His forgiveness.

Will you commit to use your lips only to honor God?

RESONATE!

Take a few moments and think about the words your lips have spoken. Likely you have not always said what God desired. Ask for His forgiveness. Receive His forgiveness and then commit your lips to the ways of God. Pray this simple prayer, “God, help me to use my lips only to honor You.“

What I Do Say

The thought is completed with this next phrase and we realize clearly what we are committing to do. We want our lips to be filled with God’s messages. We are effectively saying that we want the the word bubble to be filled with His words.

If we yield our lips to that extent, it leaves little to no room for us to mix our message with His. We do not want an empty word bubble. We want it to be filled with the things God wants to declare through us. He only wants us restrained to the extent we might speak other messages, but He wants His known.

We want this to be true no matter who our hearers happen to be. Not just around others who think like us, but those who do not as well. We must simply be careful to allow who we say and how we say it to reflect the love our God has first shown us. That love which motivates to offer our lips in the first place.

Filled with messages from Thee

I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. Psalm 40:9 ESV

Hopefully we are all growing in our ability to fill our lips with His messages so we too can make such a bold statement. May the use of our lips extend beyond the great congregation and find expression in the wider world as we make known the glad news of deliverance.

Think about it. Doing this would not only bring God glory, but keep us out of a lot of trouble. Will you commit to fill your lips with His messages?

RESONATE!
Maybe you do not think you can speak His messages, but God can help you, if you are willing. Maybe your lips have been sluggish to say what God has prompted you to say. You can begin to change that today. Pray simply, “Lord, fill my lips with Your messages.” Then keep praying and watch Him answer.

Lord I commit my lips again today to speak Your messages. Teach me how to declare the deliverance You have made available. Take my lips. In Jesus name. Amen.

Articulate Thinking!

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Image Attribution
Take my lips and let them be – https://pixabay.com/photos/mouth-man-smile-pros-and-cons-2160197/
Filled with messages from Thee – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/logos-brain-smart-thought-profile-990390/

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

Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated 1874
By: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we continue our journey through this classic text and hymn, think about what it will mean to sincerely offer each part of your life and your entire life to God. It requires diligence and intentionality. Thanks for joining us in this grand pursuit. Let’s think about this.

Firm Standing

How’s your footing?

Maybe you can feel the sand squishing between your toes. Maybe it is carpet, or grass, or gravel. Maybe you have not really thought about your footing for some time, or your feet for that matter. Maybe they hurt so they are all you think about. Let’s think about them for a few moments right now.

Wherever your feet go you are certain to follow. We do not often think about our feet, and certainly not in this way. We tend to think we tell our feet where to take us and that is fair, but what if we were to think about them differently. Think about them as committed to God’s purposes and not our own.

Maybe you are struggling on the path of life. Have you considered it might be because you are on your own path? You are slipping and sliding, get banged up along the way, yet you carry on. Maybe you have a sense you are walking a tightrope of sorts. One false move and you are a goner.

The writer of the Psalm quoted below knew an entirely different journey. Wide places to step and no slipping. Sound good. All it requires is committing you feet to God. Keep in mind where your feet go you go also so you are really committing yourself to God entirely. While that does not mean the path is easy, He will keep you. Not only that but He will use you, which we will examine more below.

Take my feet and let them be

You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. Psalm 18:36 ESV

God wants to direct our steps so our story can echo this scripture, but that can only happen as we look to Him to direct us. That direction will lead us to places like that described here as contrasted to narrow places where our feet may slip. Will you let Him direct your feet?

Where will you go, or not go? Will you offer your feet to God so that He can move you or keep you to do His will? This seems so simple but requires a great deal of intentionality and patience. You will likely want to move before He moves you. Wait for Him. Offer and wait.

RESONATE!
Take a feet moments and think about the places your feet have taken you. Likely you have not always gone where God desired. Ask for His forgiveness. Receive His forgiveness and then commit your feet to the ways of God. Pray this simple prayer, “Jesus, my feet will wait for You.“

Swift AND Beautiful

We want to use our feet in a dutiful way, but we should keep in mind that will also make them beautiful.  When you go the places God has in store for you accomplishing His purposes will more likely constrain you. When you are about His ways you will make a difference in peoples lives and they will be glad you came. Your feet become beautiful to them.

Not only do we want God to make our feet beautiful as we go where He leads us, we want them to be swift. In other words we do not want to delay or postpone our willingness to follow His leading. Are your feet beautiful and swift?

Imagine you are strolling along the beach. The waves are washing over your feet as you walk along the edge of the water. Suddenly you see an older man ahead on the beach also at the edge of the water who falls face-first and then does not move. You pick up the pace and maybe even take off running to assist him.

The same feeling should influence our movement through life. There is someone ahead who needs our help. We can assist them with their fall by helping them up and then gain their footing. You may or may not know who that person is right not, but you will when in that moment that it is clear they need some help.

You were the one who needed help before you committed your feet and the rest of your life to God. Now God wants to use your feet to take the same Good News that has given you sure footing and share is with someone who does not. Do you want to make peace and salvation known to someone who does not know it is available?

Swift and beautiful for Thee

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Isaiah 52:7 ESV

If you allow Him to direct you He will make your feet beautiful. Beautiful not as much in form as in function. When you bring good news, peace, happiness and salvation to those who lack it your feet are beautiful indeed. Will you be swift about offering your feet to walk His path?

Not only beautiful because they bring good news, but swift because they are anxious to do so. Why? Because people are perishing and need to hear there is a Savior. Wait for Him, but be ready to move and move quickly when He directs. Someone else may be waiting for you.

RESONATE!
Maybe you do not think your feet are beautiful, but God can make them so, especially in the eyes of others. Maybe your feet have been sluggish to go where God has prompted you. You can begin to change that today. Pray simply, “Spirit, make my feet swift and beautiful.” Then keep praying and watch Him answer.

Jesus I commit my feet again today to staying one step behind You. Teach me how to stay close to You and allow me to marvel at how you make my feet swift and beautiful. Take my feet. In Jesus name. Amen.

Fleet-footed Thinking!

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Image Attribution
Take my feet and let them be – https://pixabay.com/photos/feet-sand-sea-summer-nails-woman-195061/
Swift and beautiful for Thee – https://pixabay.com/photos/run-feet-sea-493336/

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated Lord to Thee
Take my moments and my days
Let them flow in ceaseless praise

Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated 1874
By: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we begin our journey through this classic text and hymn, think about what it will mean to sincerely offer each part of your life and your entire life to God. It requires diligence and intentionality. Thanks for joining us in this grand pursuit. Let’s think about this.

Moments and Days

Having offered our entire life to God in the opening part of this first stanza we begin here to enumerate the different areas which make up our life. Specifically we acknowledge time, through the lens of moments and days. Those two diverse increments provide us a contrast which helps to frame the commitment we are making in this second half of the first stanza.

A moment is a very small increment of time. Days are many moments strung together. Both are segments of time. Time provides the linear backdrop for the living we have committed to God. We are essentially telling God that we want Him to help us make the most of the time we are given.

Take my moments and my days

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV

A life lived accomplishing God’s will is made up of moments which accumulate to form days spent in this grand pursuit. Living purposefully in the smallest increments prepares us for the larger ones. Are you willing to offer God your moments, minutes, hours and days?

A faithful life is made up of millions of moments lived faithfully. Seems obvious, right? Yet without the awareness that all those smaller decisions contribute to a larger whole, it is easy to forget their significance. Ask the Spirit to fill you with that awareness and your life with purpose.

RESONATE!
Living our moments and days to God’s glory requires intent, awareness and diligence. We need His help to be faithful in the little things and big things alike. Pray this simple prayer, “Spirit, fill every moment of every day.“

Ceaseless Praise

Whether we are living moments or days, there is one activity that we want to characterize them all, ceaseless or continual praise. Brother Lawrence’s thought’s on this subject are captured in the classic “The Practice of the Presence of God”. In it, he talks about his learning to pursue God’s presence in the mundane things of life.

If we are going to live lives of continual worship, we must learn to walk with an awareness of God’s presence. It starts in moments and grows to consume larger increments of time. It becomes a way of living, or a lifestyle, not just an activity we engage in occasionally.

Let them flow in ceaseless praise

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 ESV

Moments and days filled with praise. Not just songs of worship, but worship as a way of life. This certainly includes giving glory to God with our mouths but ultimately involves everything we are, everywhere we do, everywhere we go. Ask God to help you fulfill that commitment.

Like the drops of water that form a stream, so the moments of praise flow to make a life of unending worship. We must not simply sing songs of praise. Their words must shape the way we live every moment of every day as we pursue worship as a way of life, not just a part of life.

RESONATE!
Have you ever thought of praise in this way? Not constantly singing songs, but living your life for the glory of God. Giving Him praise in every word, thought and deed. Do not be overwhelmed with this idea. Pray simply, “Lord, help me praise You continually.” Then keep praying and watch Him answer.

Jesus help me learn how to fill every moment and day with Your praise. Not only with my songs but my words and actions as well. I want to praise You without ceasing. Please help me. In Jesus name. Amen.

Worshipful Thinking!

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Image Attribution
Take my moments and my days – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/clock-clock-face-wave-present-year-1527692/
Let them flow in ceaseless praise – https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-sky-sunlight-arms-open-arms-2667455/

Cleanse and comfort bless and save me
Bathe O bathe my heart and brow
Thou art comforting and saving
Thou art sweetly filling now

Fill Me Now 1879
By: Elwood H. Stokes (1815-1897)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we continue our journey through this penitent text and hymn, make each stanza your own by praying through it. Let’s think about this.

Comfort

Comfort is something we all need. We do not simply enjoy it, we need it. Whether it be pain, distress, loneliness, or some other discomfort the Spirit is the true source of any comfort we recieve.

We may receive if from a parent or a child. It may come from a friend. In some situations even a stranger can bring it.

Can you identify the area where you need comfort today? It probably was already on your mind. Ask the Spirit what it is if you are not sure, then tell the Spirit what it is. Name it either quietly or out loud. It may have been pushed deep down for some time but in these moments let it find its way to the surface.

Thou art comforting and saving

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10 ESV

The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God, and certainly including the depths of me. Knowing me that intimately allows Him to comfort me unlike any other ever could, and that follows His saving work. Invite Him to come and comfort you where you need it today.

Interestingly, the writer revisits two of the works of the Spirit from the opening line of this stanza, comforting and saving. Maybe they are the two most crucial, or the ones He needed most. Either way, they are essential. Echo that prayer from deep in your soul today.

RESONATE!
We acknowledge the comfort and saving work of the Spirit once more. This is not a one time prayer, or even an occasional one. It must become a regular one as we become familiar with the destructive habits of others and ourselves. Pray this simple prayer, “Spirit, comfort and save me.”

Filling

Of course the filling of the Holy Spirit is much sweeter than any eclair, but I want to challenge us to think about this a little differently as we close out our reflections on this hymn.

Imagine this pastry without the filling. It would still be delicious, but not as delicious. Truly the nature of it would change. Certainly our nature is different without the Spirit.

The pastry is sweeter with the filling. There is already sugar in there, but not as much. The taste would be much different. We are not as sweet without the Spirit.

It would even look very different without the filling. It is still a work of art, but not quite as much without the filling. The same is true of us. Though people can not see the filling of the Spirit they can certainly see the effects of it.

The sweet filling simply helps the eclair taste better. The sweet filling of the Holy Spirit helps us be better. Now that is some confection conviction if I ever heard any.

Thou art sweetly filling now

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…John 14:16 ESV

The Spirit comes, fills us, then stays with us forever, always ready to help us as we may need it, and oh, how we need it. He does not only come to teach us, and empower us but to help us. Thank Jesus for the sweet work of His Spirit in you every day.

How sweet is the work of the Spirit! He fills us and does so with an astounding blend of power and gentleness. Invite Him one more time here to come and fill you. Then repeat that simple prayer every day until your work on earth is done.

RESONATE!
The filling and work fo the Spirit are so sweet, yet we often fail to welcome them. Take a few moments today to do that. Pray simply, “Spirit, sweetly fill me now.“

Spirit, thank You for Your filling work and the difference it makes in my life. Teach me to ask for it regularly, making it a habit to welcome your influence. Come, o come and fill me now. In Jesus name. Amen.

Comforted Thinking!

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Image Attribution
Thou art comforting and saving – https://pixabay.com/photos/portrait-model-portraiture-4550039/
Thou art sweetly filling now – https://pixabay.com/photos/eclair-pastry-cake-eclairs-5052481/