Live Out Thy Life Within Me (#316)
This song has exactly the same music as “The Church Has One Foundation (#348)”, the first article in this series called “Defending Lyrics”! There is another document called “Twin Hymns” with the words of both songs, side by side, so that the men can sing “The Church Has One Foundation” while the women sing “Live Out Thy Life Within Me”! The key to “having the desired effect” is not mentally “blocking out” the other part while you’re singing. Why not give this a try in your group?
Seat belts fastened? Thinking caps strapped on? OK, let’s begin!
“Live out thy life within me O Jesus King of Kings!” Galatians 2:20 KJV Revelation 17:14 Revelation 19:16 John 14:10-21 KJV
“Be Thou Thyself the answer to all my questionings;” Do me a favor. Go to the website BibleGateway.Com and type in the following search (double quotes included) “Jesus answered”! How many search results are there? That’s right, there should be 64 search results! “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you”. John 14:17, 18 KJV Can the Holy Spirit be considered Jesus Christ? Yes, according to this reference! And what does Jesus do? He “answers”!
What If We Lived Like Jesus?
“Live out Thy life within me, in all things have Thy way!” Question: Did Jesus do His own will, or the will of His Father? What do you think would happen if we took this line of the song to heart?
Here’s the answer! “I, the transparent medium Thy glory to display”!
“The temple has been yielded and purified of sin” “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are”. 1 Corinthians 3: 16, 17 KJV Clear enough?
“Let Thy Shekinah glory now shine forth from within,” Remember that the “Shekinah” glory was always just above the golden slab (mercy seat) on top of the Ark of the Covenant. If anyone directly looked at it, they died! The high priest, once a year, on the “Day Of Atonement” backed into the Most Holy Place with a rope tied to his ankle so his body could be retrieved if he died! He never looked at the Shekinah glory!
So how can we be in a condition to allow the Shekinah glory to “shine forth from within”? Simple, the personal temple of your body and mind needs to be purified as is stated in the first line of the second verse! And by the way, in the symbolism of the earthly sanctuary, the “Most Holy Place” also represents the “mind” of the believer! So what should be in our minds? The Law of God, His justice, His mercy, and His glory…which is His Character! This is a very serious issue!
“And all the earth keep silence, the body hence-forth be Thy silent gentle servant, moved only as by Thee.” This is simply a description of how a person will behave if and when they have been “purified of sin”… along with a reminder that everyone on Earth needs to reverence the Lord! And before we forget, the “body” being referred to in the song is not your personal body, but the body of the church! How do I know this? Because of the next verse of the song!
“Its members every moment held subject to Thy call, ready to have Thee use them, or not be used at all;” Hold on just a minute! I can understand how one person could be holy enough to have the Shekinah glory shining through them…but a whole church? This hardly seems possible!
Remember the first article in this series? Remember Ephesians 5:20-30? If you don’t remember, you should probably read that article! I’ll just quote the appropriate section of this reference: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”. Ephesians 5:25-27 KJV So a whole SDA church can be holy? Evidently so!
“Held without restless longing, or strain, or stress, or fret, or chafings at Thy dealings, or thoughts of vain regret” Here, the author of the words is being honest about what kinds of things would indicate that the church is still not quite “pure”!
“But restful, calm, and pliant, from bend and bias free, awaiting Thy decision when Thou hast need of me” Here’s an immediate switch from the “church body” back to the individual! And it shows what kind of attitude a pure church member has toward the Lord Jesus Christ!
“Live out Thy life within me, O Jesus King of Kings! Be Thou the glorious answer to all my questionings!” This is obviously a “recap” from the beginning of the song! But it is more than that! Now that we’ve sung the previous two verses, we know what is really involved in these two lines!
We know that holiness is a requirement, both as a church, and as individuals! And we also know that this is impossible while any part of our own selfish heart is still “in control” of our lives! Our “self” must die! We must choose God’s will, not our own will! Are we really ready to sing this? I think it’s time for a serious prayer meeting first!
I want to leave you with the following Bible references to think about as you consider what conversation you need to have with the Lord!
“And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land”. Zachariah 9:16 KJV
“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation”. 1 Peter 2:1-12 KJV
Are you getting the “picture”? Is it clear what kind of church God wants? I think if you are truly honest in heart and are seeking to do God’s will…then I don’t need to say another word! I hope you will join me in seeking a closer relationship with God, asking for His forgiveness, and His cleansing!
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