ALL FOR JESUS!

All for Jesus! All for Jesus! All my being’s ransomed powers; All my thoughts and words and doings; All my days and all my hours."

The words of this beautiful old hymn popped into my mind one morning as I sat at the kitchen table for my daily time of Bible reading and reflection with the Lord. I had not been thinking about songs or hymns or commitments—I was just reading and thinking and praying, the same as every other day. But the song was suddenly there—full-blown, with all the words and melody in place.

It was not the first time (or the last time) this has happened. Very often when I’m struggling with a challenge or worried about something, I’ll find myself randomly humming a song. Usually as I follow the words through in my mind, they will surprise me with a thought or an answer that is exactly what I needed to hear at the moment. Isn’t God good?!! I’ve learned to welcome the songs that just appear in my mind, because I know it means God has something to remind me of or to teach me.

But this particular morning I was intrigued, because the words seemed unusual. “All my being’s ransomed powers?” What is that? I even went to find an old hymn book to make sure those were the right words. Yes. That’s what they said.

Well, since it seemed so obvious that this was a God thing, I spent some time thinking about the hymn, and the commitment it promised. Was this what Jesus was asking of me? I decided it must be.

Quite glibly, not really thinking through what it meant, I agreed. After all, isn’t this what being a Christian is about? And so this is the promise I made: “I am all for Jesus! All of me—for now and for all eternity I belong to Jesus. I live, always and only, all for Him!”

The Father must have smiled tolerantly at my enthusiasm. In His lavish grace He did not show me at that moment exactly what it would look like or the changes He wanted to make in me. I still don’t know all of what’s in store for me, and I won’t until I get to Heaven. But here’s a promise:

Philippians 1:6 (NLT) “And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.”

I freely agreed that morning to what Jesus was asking of me. The compliance, however, is taking much longer and is so much more difficult that I imagined it could be. But Jesus is working on me—teaching and molding me, grinding off the sharp edges, gradually shaping me into the person He created me to be. I am so grateful for His patience and forgiveness, His compassion and unfailing love!

Months have passed since then (without a blog post), and God is bringing about monumental changes in my life, relationships, career and ministry. Some of the lessons have been extremely painful, and others very satisfying. But I’ve been reluctant (or afraid) to share the process because . . . well . . . um . . .

You might remember that old saying, “Please be patient. God’s not finished with me yet.” Years ago—probably in my college days—I wore a big bright button on my shirt for awhile with the letters “PBPGNFWMY”. It was cute, and people asked me what it meant. At that time it was easy to say, and possibly insincere.

But there’s the truth of it. God is not finished with me yet. He’s still working on me daily. I do need your patience.

Here’s the reason I decided to write about the process now: maybe God is also working in your life. And maybe you need someone to share the journey with. Or it could be you’re looking for something more in your Christian walk—a renewed faith, or deeper commitment, or more joy. Whatever it looks like, I would be so honored to have you join me! We can move forward together.

Leave a comment. Send me an email. Let’s talk!

All for Him!
Deborah