Now I Belong to Jesus!
Another Resource: Author: Norman J. Clayton
Why am I a Christian? This is a very important question! Is it because you think you can count on your Christian friends at the church? The name of this article is the same as a popular hymn that you’ve probably heard many times. We’re going to be studying the Bible verses that support the ideas in this hymn and talking about the “real cost” of being a true Christian, as well as the benefits!
This song was written by Norman Clayton who was born on January 22, 1903 in Brooklyn, New York, the ninth of ten children. He was converted at the age of six in the South Brooklyn Gospel Church, where his mother had been a foundation member … and was church organist by the age of 12. He kept up the role of church organist for the rest of his life.
Clayton’s profession was in the building industry, but he also created his own publishing house, Gospel Songs, which was later absorbed into the Rodeheaver Company. In 1942 he was working with Jack Wyrtzen’s Word of Life organization, providing music for both the radio broadcasts and crusade meetings. That same year Clayton wrote his most popular gospel song, words and music, “Now I Belong to Jesus.”
Verse 1: Jesus, my Lord will love me forever, From Him no pow'r of evil can sever, He gave His life to ransom my soul; Now I belong to Him;
Chorus: Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me, Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity.
Verse 2: Once I was lost in sin's degradation, Jesus came down to bring me salvation, Lifted me up from sorrow and shame, Now I belong to Him;
Verse 3
Joy floods my soul for Jesus has saved me,
Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me
His precious blood, He gave to redeem,
Now I belong to Him;
OK, let’s talk about the Cost of being a true Christian! Being a real Christian does have a very high cost! Fortunately, we have another example of that cost, in the example of a true and Christ centered marriage between and man and his wife! In such a marriage, does the husband or the wife talk about the extreme sacrifices they have made? No? Why not? (discussion time)
First, true love is the ultimate sacrifice…death is not! Any husband or wife that really loves their partner would be ready to die for their partner at any time, yes! But that would not be the ultimate sacrifice! They have already made the ultimate sacrifice when they took their vows together!
What did Jesus do for most of the time He was here on Earth? He healed the sick and raised the dead back to life! He spent a little bit of time teaching the people and feeding the hungry. But most of His time was spent in healing people! There were entire towns where not one sick person could be found after Jesus had passed through them!
Jesus is our Example in all things! What does a loving husband do for his wife? He sacrifices his time in a job he might not enjoy…in order to pay the mortgage, make the car payments, allow his wife to shop for food and other necessities, buy some clothes, etc. Does he complain? (discussion time)
What else did Jesus do? He sometimes spent the entire night in prayer with His Heavenly Father! Jesus was in constant communion with His Father! And Jesus carefully studied the Bible of His time, which consisted of the Old Testament at that time. Do you value the Old Testament? Both the Old Testament, and the New Testament reveal exactly the SAME GOD, the SAME Jesus, the SAME Father, and the SAME Holy Spirit! And the Old Testament unlocks the secrets of the New Testament (and vice versa)! So, if you neglect the Old Testament, you will NOT understand nearly as much Truth about God, as He wants you to understand!
If you really love Jesus, His Father, and the Holy Spirit, then you will love EVERY WORD that He has seen fit to write down for you in the Bible! (discussion time)
And if you understand what God intended marriage to be…then you will better understand the kind of relationship that Jesus wants to have with you! How do we know this? Read Ephesians 5 (whole chapter)! (discussion time)
We see now that marriage is to be a teaching tool in God’s hands! Marriage is but a “dim reflection” of the relationship that God wants to have with each individual! When men read the section: “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing”. Ephesians 5:22-24 KJV then everywhere that they read “wives” now applies to them as the “bride of Christ”! (discussion time)
Why does God want wives to “submit to their husbands”? Because it is their privilege to teach their husbands how to “submit to Christ” by their own example! And it is through this simple, Divine plan, that our communities and our world will be most benefited for the future! This plan brings humility to both husband and wife, it brings peace to the family, it honors the wife (relieves her stress), and it fills the husband with a deep love for his wife (he does more for his wife)! Don’t believe me? Try it! (For practical help read the book “The Surrendered Wife” – the author, a former feminist, got her ideas from Ephesians 5…curious?)
So what is this kind of relationship that God wants to have with me? You know the one that you said “marriage but dimly reflects”? Ah, I’m so glad you asked! You can find it outlined clearly in the book Song Of Solomon in the Bible! But in order to understand what the book Song Of Solomon is referring to…you must first understand many other Bible prophecies!
This will include a careful study of Daniel, Revelation, Isaiah, Job, and others. We don’t have room in this article for all of that! But see how far you can get on your own, now that I have your full attention! Song Of Solomon is only 8 chapters long and each chapter is rather short…so it won’t take much time to read! But when you realize that this fairly short book is describing the relationship that God wants to have with you, yes, you personally…that changes EVERYTHING! It will give you a brand new perspective on what it really means to be the “bride of Christ”!
All through the book, there’s a commonly used phrase: “I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please”. Song Of Solomon 2:7 KJV
Let’s take a look at the Message Bible for a clearer understanding! “Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe—and you’re ready”. Song Of Solomon 2:7 MSG
What context is important for understanding this verse? Take a look at chapter 8! “Hang my locket around your neck, wear my ring on your finger. Love is invincible facing danger and death. Passion laughs at the terrors of hell. The fire of love stops at nothing— it sweeps everything before it. Flood waters can’t drown love, torrents of rain can’t put it out. Love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold— it’s not to be found in the marketplace”. Song Of Solomon 8:6,7 MSG
There’s a type of flare that deep sea divers use underwater so that they can see the welding job they are doing on an oil rig in the ocean. The flare is made of Magnesium. It burns so hot, that the heat separates the hydrogen and oxygen in the water, they recombine to form water again, and all the while the magnesium is providing more heat and continuing the process! This is the intensity being described in Song Of Solomon regarding the heat and passion of your relationship with God!
This is also the kind of relationship with God that the song “Now I Belong To Jesus” is describing! Just like marriage, this relationship is designed to last for all of eternity! “Not for the years of time alone, but for eternity” as the chorus declares!
If you are young and have not chosen your mate yet…let me share some advice! Practice your future “ultimate sacrifice”, by making a similar sacrifice today…for Jesus Christ! Then, when the time comes to make the “ultimate sacrifice” for your husband or wife…you will know what that really means…and you’ll be prepared to make a complete sacrifice…one that will honor the Lord! And leave the “matchmaking” to God!
We are not wise enough to choose the right mate on our own. But God knows all about you! He has already planned for a future mate, just for you! He probably had him or her picked out since before you were born! Now He is patiently waiting for you to learn to trust His judgment! Seek His counsel! Ask Him, “Is this the one you want me to marry”? And if He says, “Yes”, then and only then, is it safe to proceed!
Back to the Cost of being a Christian! “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”. 2 Peter 3:12 KJV The word “shall” is a legal word that means “just as surely as the sun will rise, this is going to happen”! It’s not just a common occurrence, but a promise of opposition! This is one of the ways a Christian can be sure that they are on the right track!
I know it sounds crazy to be willing to put up with this kind of life! But when a couple gets married, they usually take a vow that says, “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part”. And it’s the same with Jesus Christ and you! Your baptism is your wedding day with Christ! And the Sabbath Day is your “wedding ring” signifying that you belong to Him! (discussion time)
I have to mention another song, right here!
Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone
By Thomas Shepherd
Verse 1: Must Jesus bear the cross alone And all the world go free? No, there's the cross for everyone, And there’s a cross for me!
Verse 2: The consecrated cross I'll bear, Till He shall set me free; And then go home, my crown to wear, For there’s a crown for me!
Verse 3: Upon the crystal pavement, down, At Jesus’ pierced feet, With joy I’ll cast my golden crown, And His dear name repeat!
Is this Cost too high? I think not!
“There are those who profess to serve God, while they rely upon their own efforts to obey His law, to form a right character, and secure salvation. Their hearts are not moved by any deep sense of the love of Christ, but they seek to perform the duties of the Christian life as that which God requires of them in order to gain heaven. Such religion is worth nothing. When Christ dwells in the heart, the soul will be so filled with His love, with the joy of communion with Him, that it will cleave to Him; and in the contemplation of Him, self will be forgotten. Love to Christ will be the spring of action. Those who feel the constraining love of God, do not ask how little may be given to meet the requirements of God; they do not ask for the lowest standard, but aim at perfect conformity to the will of their Redeemer. With earnest desire they yield all and manifest an interest proportionate to the value of the object which they seek. A profession of Christ without this deep love is mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery. Do you feel that it is too great a sacrifice to yield all to Christ? Ask yourself the question, ‘What has Christ given for me?’ The Son of God gave all—life and love and suffering—for our redemption. And can it be that we, the unworthy objects of so great love, will withhold our hearts from Him? Every moment of our lives we have been partakers of the blessings of His grace, and for this very reason we cannot fully realize the depths of ignorance and misery from which we have been saved. Can we look upon Him whom our sins have pierced, and yet be willing to do despite to all His love and sacrifice? In view of the infinite humiliation of the Lord of glory, shall we murmur because we can enter into life only through conflict and self-abasement? The inquiry of many a proud heart is, ‘Why need I go in penitence and humiliation before I can have the assurance of my acceptance with God’? I point you to Christ. He was sinless, and, more than this, He was the Prince of heaven; but in man's behalf He became sin for the race. ‘He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors’. Isaiah 53:12. But what do we give up, when we give all? A sin-polluted heart, for Jesus to purify, to cleanse by His own blood, and to save by His matchless love. And yet men think it hard to give up all! I am ashamed to hear it spoken of, ashamed to write it. God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain. In all that He does, He has the well-being of His children in view. Would that all who have not chosen Christ might realize that He has something vastly better to offer them than they are seeking for themselves. Man is doing the greatest injury and injustice to his own soul when he thinks and acts contrary to the will of God. No real joy can be found in the path forbidden by Him who knows what is best and who plans for the good of His creatures. The path of transgression is the path of misery and destruction. It is a mistake to entertain the thought that God is pleased to see His children suffer. All heaven is interested in the happiness of man. Our heavenly Father does not close the avenues of joy to any of His creatures. The divine requirements call upon us to shun those indulgences that would bring suffering and disappointment, that would close to us the door of happiness and heaven. The world's Redeemer accepts men as they are, with all their wants, imperfections, and weaknesses; and He will not only cleanse from sin and grant redemption through His blood, but will satisfy the heart-longing of all who consent to wear His yoke, to bear His burden. It is His purpose to impart peace and rest to all who come to Him for the bread of life. He requires us to perform only those duties that will lead our steps to heights of bliss to which the disobedient can never attain. The true, joyous life of the soul is to have Christ formed within, the hope of glory. Many are inquiring, ‘How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?’ You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him. Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians. Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith”. Steps To Christ, most of Chapter 5, “Consecration”
Every word written above in Steps To Christ, chapter 5, describes a relationship of “belonging”…the same way as Song Of Solomon 8:6, 7…the same way as the song “Now I Belong To Jesus”! Is the Cost of being a Christian too high? No! Bearing my cross is a privilege! It’s an honor, showing that I belong to Him!
And what are the benefits of being a Christian? First, there’s the fact that you “belong to Jesus”, that “Jesus belongs to you”, and that this relationship is for the rest of eternity! To me, this is the most valuable reward! But this is only the beginning!
I’m getting older and noticing age spots everywhere, wrinkles, etc. Soon God will give me a new body that will be young looking and healthy for the rest of eternity! And My Jesus says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore”. Psalm 16:11 KJV Even though David wrote this, it is a prophecy concerning Jesus’ suffering in verse 10, so this is really a promise directly from Jesus!
How can this happen? Because we “belong to Jesus”, we will enjoy giving the same kind of love away to others as Jesus has given to us, even after we get to heaven! This will be our “pleasure for evermore”!
How can we do this? Through our communication! How important is it then, that we learn the truths in God’s Word? Every moment that we spend, learning the truths in God’s Word, will help to prepare us to communicate clearly and effectively with those around us, bringing the lost into fellowship with Jesus Christ by what we say…and how we say it! Yes, we have the awesome privilege of speaking out loud what Christ would say, if He were talking directly to the person in front of you!
This is the highest privilege one can imagine! It is both an honor, and an awesome responsibility! And it is also the source of our truest and deepest joy! We have the privilege of being an ambassador of Jesus Christ, right where we are…today!
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