The title of the song above is my favorite song in our hymnal. It was written by James DeForrest Murch back in the 1930’s. I want to use the verses and the chorus to write some short devotionals.
All of us have priorities in life. We all have “anchors” in our lives. Every priority and anchor that is not grounded in the Lord Jesus will only last through this life. We all need something or someone in our lives that will lead to eternal life.
The chorus reads as follows: “In all that I say, in all that I do, throughout the world of toil and strife, by day and by night, through trust in His might, I’ll put Jesus first in my life.”
Notice that the intent of this chorus is not half hearted commitment. It is giving one’s all to a life of dedicated, faithful service. We are reminded that life is not always a “bed of roses,” but life is many times up and down, and full of all kinds of emotions and feelings. But we can rest assured that we have One who loves us, One who keeps His Word and wants us to have an abundant life in Him. Paul, in writing to the Ephesians said, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us…” (Eph. 1:8-9a ESV)
We have the promise that no matter what time of the day, He is always there for us. We can count on the promise of the Great Commission “Lo, I am with you always…” If we always seek to put Jesus first in our lives, He will equip us for service.
I have been taking the verses and chorus of the song “The World All About Me.” In this devotion I want to discuss the question “Why Give Up Sin?” All Christians should be in “an attitude of gratitude” for what the Lord Jesus has done, is doing, and will do for us.
The second verse of the song starts off with the phrase “The Lord Jesus died my salvation to win:” This should remind us of the great cost of salvation; not to us, but to the Godhead. Our Heavenly Father loved us so much that He sent His Son to die in my place. The song further says “He went in my stead to Calvary and bled.” He took our place; we do not deserve to be saved. We are reminded of the need for the blood of Christ to be shed for the remission of our sins.
The last phrase of the second verse says “Redemption impels us to give up all sin.” This refers to the title of this devotion. Now that we are in Christ, we are to live a new life. We should be motivated by what Jesus did in redemption. If He loved us so much that He died for us, then we ought to try our best to avoid sin. Butpraise God if we do sin and “all have sinned…,” we have Jesus to intercede for us (Heb. 4:14-16).
So, fellow believer, let’s always be reminded of the love of Jesus and live our lives and be reminded that we are now in the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:12-14) and are living in the marvelous light of the Gospel. (I Peter 2:9)
Christians are promised in the Word of God that their eternal destiny is to be with the Lord Jesus Christforever (I Thes. 4:17). Wherever He is or goes, we will be with Him. We can know, in this life, that we are saved and have assurance of our salvation. Many, even some Christians do not have this assurance.
The song “I’ll Put Jesus First,” in verse 3 uses the words “I Know.” We can look forward to a time “when death is no more, when struggle is o’er.” Christians are “the ransomed and blest.” When we sing this song we are forever reminded of the redemption we have in Christ.
The last phrase of the verse says “For those who love Jesus and give Him their best.” Do you love Jesus? If so, you will want to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.” (I Peter 3:18). We prepare for the “home for the ransomed and blest,” in this life. Remember, we are saved by grace, thought faith, in baptism, for good works. We are not saved because we worked our way into Heaven; rather, we are working for the Lord Jesus because we are saved. Let’s live our Christian lives preparing for eternal life. If we want to grow in Jesus, He will equip us for service.
In verse 4 of the song “I’ll Put Jesus First in My Life” we are reminded of the protecting grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament teaches us that we are saved by grace through faith, in baptism unto good works. As long as we abide in Jesus we will never fall, we will never lose our salvation.
Christians are never promised a “bed of roses.” We are not under a “name it and claim it” philosophy as many radio and TV preachers would have us believe.
We are not immune from the “cares of this world.” The “rain” falls on the “just and unjust,” the Bible tells us. “Tho’ earth’s tribulations continue each day,” reminds us that bad times do befall the believer, “His grace will protect me for ever and aye..” We can “take that to the bank.” We can be assured that although we live “in this world,” we are “not of this world.” (I John 2:15-17)
Remember the chorus, “In all that I say, in all that I do, throughout the world of toil and strife, by day and by night, through trust in His might, I’ll put Jesus first in my life.” We must give our all to the Lord. We must be consistent in our walk for Him. We must “let our light shine” for Jesus! Keep looking up! Jesus may come today
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- Larry Miles lives in Louisville, KY and publishes " Larry's Lines" several times a week. Copyright 2009
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