Outnumbered 4 to 1

Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my king.
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.
Take my silver and my gold not a might would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use every power as you choose.

::Chorus::
Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for thee.

Take my will and make it Thine it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord I pour at your feet its treasure store
Take myself and I will be ever, only all for thee,
Take myself and I will be ever, only all for thee.

Here am I, All of me.
Take my life, It's all for thee.
x3

(Take my life, Lord take my life. take all of me)

Here am I, All of me.
Take my life, It's all for thee.

::Repeated by crowd 5 X's::

How many times have we sang this song or songs like it? Have you ever really stopped and thought about the words you are singing? What they mean? Do I mean them?

Okay let me explain why this is on my heart...

Yesterday in both morning and evening services the word Consecrated came up. Then in my quiet time there the word was again. Then as I was thinking about it this song popped in my head and has played over and over again, then going to get Andrew, this song was actually playing on the radio. So it got me to thinking what does it mean to have a life Consecrated to the Lord.

One explanation I found was in the footnotes of my study bible. Exodus 22:31 states "You shall be consecrated to me. ...." The footnotes explain... All these laws and regulations caused Israel to be set apart in conduct, not just name. The special calling as Yahweh's firstborn son (4:22) and as his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (19:5-6) mandated ethical uprightness.... A set-apart lifestyle impacted every area of life...

Dictionary.com defines it as...
con·se·crate

   [kon-si-kreyt] Show IPA verb, -crat·ed, -crat·ing, adjective

verb (used with object)

1. to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity: to consecrate a new church building.

2. to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow: a custom consecrated by time.

3. to devote or dedicate to some purpose: a life consecrated to science.

4. to admit or ordain to a sacred office, especially to the episcopate.

5. to change (bread and wine) into the Eucharist.

Synonyms
2. sanctify, venerate. 3. See devote.

Okay so what does a life set apart, declared as sacred, not just in name but in lifestyle look like? The realization I came to is that it is in everything! Giving our all to the Lord. Not just when we are at church, not just when in front of the right people but when people aren't looking! Living a life that is as sacred and holy in the privacy of our own home as we do in front people. Let me clarify that I fail daily at this! I know that we all fall short! But I am declaring that this is the life I want to live! This is the life I want to teach my children to live! I want my life to be Consecrated Lord to thee! I know I will never get this perfect, I know I won't fully understand what this looks like completely, I know that I will never be Holy in the eyes of the Lord, but I want to live my life seeking daily to live in this manor! I want to live my life seeking the Lord completely!

I hope that you take the time to really think about what you read in your quiet times, what you hear in the sermons, what you sing (whether at church or with the radio)! Really take the time to think about what it means and how to apply it to your life!