Not I, but Christ be honored, loved, exalted

B346 C433 CB591 E591 G591 K433 P295 R424 S270 T591
1
Not I, but Christ be honored, loved, exalted,
Not I, but Christ be seen, be known and heard;
Not I, but Christ in every look and action,
Not I, but Christ in every thought and word.
 
Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord,
  Oh, to be lost in Thee,
Oh, that it may be no more I,
    But Christ that lives in me.
2
Not I, but Christ to gently soothe in sorrow,
Not I, but Christ to wipe the falling tear;
Not I, but Christ to lift the weary burden,
Not I, but Christ to hush away all fear.
3
Christ, only Christ, no idle word e’er falling,
Christ, only Christ, no needless bustling sound;
Christ, only Christ, no self-important bearing,
Christ, only Christ, no trace of I be found.
4
Not I, but Christ my every need supplying,
Not I, but Christ my strength and health to be;
Christ, only Christ, for spirit, soul, and body,
Christ, only Christ, live then Thy life in me.
5
Christ, only Christ, ere long will fill my vision,
Glory excelling soon, full soon I’ll see;
Christ, only Christ, my every wish fulfilling,
Christ, only Christ, my all in all to be.
43

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May 20 2019
Ana Lara

Tolland, Connecticut, United States

Some records state that Ada A. Whiddington was born in 1855 and others in 1861. She was the daughter of Robert Fitzgerald. She married Richard Whiddington in 1885. Richard was born November 10, 1859 in Kensington London. They had three children. Their Son Richard later became Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge University.

Ada is thought to have been associated with the Keswick Convention. She died on March 14th, 1933 at Henson England.

Ada is one of many believers who felt inspired to write the desires of her soul. One could wish to know more about her. Her background, her times, but those things are left in the shadows. What we do know is that this hymn was set to music by A B Simpson.

Putting Jesus at the center of our lives is a foundational principle of the Christian faith. This anthem affirms the Lordship of Christ with an inspiring melody that builds steadily from beginning to end.

Other of her hymns are “Why Should I Care if My Journey be Drear” and “ I Could Not Understand”.

Apr 24 2019
Tracy

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

What a powerful hymn reminding ourselves that its not us but Christ who does it all.

Dec 20 2018
Gloria Price

Duncanville, Texas, United States

Not I but Christ in EVERY thought and word... WOW!! Tall order! However we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Nov 22 2018
Ariko

Kaduna., Nigeria

Tumult and dead hovers around me, and could not move with this body of dead, I sought for Jesus and I found Him. Should I boast in what He has given me as mine own strength? No!!! Jesus have died for me and present me spotless before the Father... Not I but Christ!

Nov 20 2018
Istifanus Ariko

Kaduna., Kaduna, Nigeria

The spiritual savory of this song keeps heightening day by day as one meditate on the seasoned lyrics of this hymn.

Nov 17 2018
Istifanus Ariko

Kaduna., Nigeria

Hmmmmmmm!! End of all strife that causes bitterness.

May 15 2018
Val Wilson

Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom

I was reminded again of this wonderful hymn which I learnt in the 60's when the Bishop of Sheffield came to preach at our Church. Oh to be more like Christ.

Feb 7 2018
Frank Alcamo

Oceanside, New York, United States

If everyone prayed the Words of this song through until we lived these truths, what a Heaven on earth we would experience.

Jun 22 2017
Frank Awuah

Pretoria, South Africa

Christ only in every thought, action look and word!!! Powerful song! May I decrease and may He increase in me and in everyone. Amen

Apr 11 2017
Frank Alcamo

Oceanside, NY, United States

What a beautiful prayer. What a beautiful salvation. What a wonderful Savior.

Revised version:

1. Not I—the Lord be honored, loved, exalted,

Not I—the Lord be seen, be known and heard;

Not I—the Lord in every look and action,

Not I—the Lord in every thought and word.

Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord,

Oh, to be lost in Thee,

Oh, that it may be no more I,

But Christ that lives in me.

2. Not I—the Lord, my everything beginning,

Not I—the Lord, the source of the supply;

Not I—the Lord, the one who does the working,

Not I—the Lord, the one who lives thereby.

3. Not I—the Lord—thus no more idle speaking,

Not I—the Lord—self-pity now forego;

Not I—the Lord—thus no more selfish scheming;

Not I—the Lord—thus self-esteem must go.

4. Not I—the Lord—there's nothing self can boast of;

Not I—the Lord—self cannot ruin me;

Not I—the Lord—there's no more heavy burden;

Not I—the Lord—from fear of hardship free.

5. Only the Lord, ere long will fill my vision,

Glory excelling soon, full soon I'll see;

Only the Lord, fore'er my thanks receiving;

Only the Lord, my all eternally.

To have the rings without the overlaying gold is to be poor in gold. It is to have the Triune God as the rings but not as the gold overlaying the boards. To be in such a condition is to be poor in God. We need to learn to confess that we sometimes are poor in God. We may be rich in the self but quite poor in God. Therefore, we need the initial Spirit to spread throughout our being; that is, the initial gold must spread out in order to overlay us. As we grow in the Lord, the Spirit spreads within us and overlays us with Himself.

The gold did not overlay some inferior or corrupt material; it overlaid acacia wood. Although the acacia wood was very good, it was not the purpose of the tabernacle to express the wood. This indicates that God does not want man to be expressed; rather, He wants to see the expression of Himself. God desires for Himself to be expressed upon man. This requires that man be covered with God, even overlaid completely with Him. In our hymnal there is a hymn entitled "Not I but Christ." The chorus goes like this:

Oh, to be saved from myself, dear Lord,

Oh, to be lost in Thee,

Oh, that it may be no more I,

But Christ that lives in me.

To be lost in the Lord is to be overlaid with Him and to be hidden in Him. When we are concealed within the Lord Himself, He becomes the expression.

When the apostle Paul was Saul, he was a very aggressive young man. Everything with him was "I, me, my, and mine." With Saul it was "I first, my and mine in the middle, and me last." Everything was Saul of Tarsus. But the Lord Jesus knocked him down on the road to Damascus, and Saul asked, "Who are You, Lord?" (Acts 9:5). The Lord said, "I am Jesus" (v. 5). The Lord was saying, "I am the great I Am. I am the One that is. You must believe that I am and you are not." Eventually, Saul changed his name. Saul was over, and Paul came up (Acts 13:9 and note 1). This Paul was the one who told us, "It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." This is to believe that God is.

Nothing can make the unique God happy except one thing. That is faith. Faith is to believe that God is. Then I would check with you, "If only God is, where are you?" The first stanza of Hymns, #483 says, "Buried with Christ, and raised with Him too;/What is there left for me to do?/Simply to cease from struggling and strife,/Simply to walk in newness of life./Glory be to God!" Where are you? You are in the tomb. Today who are you? You need to say, "It is no more I, but Christ." I would like again to refer to what Darby said: "O the joy of having nothing and being nothing, seeing nothing but a living Christ in glory, and being careful for nothing but His interests down here." This is faith. We care for nothing but His interest. We should always say, "Not I, not me, not my, not mine; but He, Him, His. He is the first and the last and everything in between." "Christ, only Christ" (see Hymns, #591—stanza 5).

Piano Hymns

Details

Experience of Christ
Expressing Him
Mrs. Ada A. Whiddington (1891)
Albert Benjamin Simpson (1843-1919)
Eb Major
2/2
11.10.11.10. with chorus.
17123324352

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