 |
| "All for me?" |
8 Charity never faileth: but
whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they
shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we
prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect
is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a
child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man,
I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass,
darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even
as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope,
charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Cor
13:8-13)
Sooner or later, we all come to a point in time that we find ourselves face to
face with Christ - what shall be our response? The Holy Spirit draws, and the
Holy Spirit convicts. Our response is measured by the working of God's Holy Spirit
in our hearts. The woman at the well was drawn there by an invisible strand.
The woman taken in adultery was brought to Christ against her will, but was
blessed. Nicodemus came to satisfy an insatiable hunger for truth - a hunger
engendered by the magnetic pull of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, it is the simple
and mundane things that are used by the Holy Spirit to disperse light.
Our hymn today had its beginning in a pastor's dining room in Rutherford, New
Jersey, more than one hundred years ago; and was prompted by a nearly empty jar
of jelly. The pastor's guest, Grant C. Tullar, was known to love jelly, so the
pastor said, this is for YOU! Tullar took the jar, assayed its contents and
said, "All for me?" This thought had a resounding influence in his
musical nature at that very moment. He went immediately to the piano and
composed the tune for the beautiful hymn we examine today. But the lyrics he
had in mind, "All for Me" obviously needed work. The very next day,
Tullar received a letter from Ms. Carrie E. Breck that asked him to compose
music to go with the words of this hymn which she had written. Amazingly, the
tune of the previous evening fit as perfectly as the glove fits the hand. Thus
we have this wonderful and tenderly meaningful hymn given us in 1898.
Early this morning, a good friend asked if I might consider writing about this
hymn 'someday.' I knew she had TODAY in mind for it. The more I considered it,
the less I could resist its haunting appeal. The tune itself has been pulling
at my heartstrings all morning long. So I will submit to the Spirit and write
of it.
Face to Face with Christ, My Savior
Face to face with Christ, my
Savior,
Face to face—what will it be,
When with rapture I behold Him,
Jesus Christ Who died for me?
Refrain
Face to
face I shall behold Him,
Far
beyond the starry sky;
Face to
face in all His glory,
I shall
see Him by and by!
Only faintly now I see Him,
With the darkened veil between,
But a blessèd day is coming,
When His glory shall be seen.
Refrain
What rejoicing in His presence,
When are banished grief and pain;
When the crooked ways are
straightened,
And the dark things shall be
plain.
Refrain
Face to face—oh, blissful moment!
Face to face—to see and know;
Face to face with my Redeemer,
Jesus Christ Who loves me so.
Refrain
Face to face with Christ, my Savior, Face to face—what will it be, When with
rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ Who died for me? There are two very different
reactions to meeting the Lord face to face - one is that of extreme sorrow and
repentance of sins; the other, a willful and self-righteous rebellion to His
rule! Adam walked with God, yet he revolted. Pontius Pilate was brought face to
face with Christ, but was weak as water and resorted to the politically correct
response rather than to do the justice that he knew was merited. The Scribes
and Pharisees came face to face with Christ and were incensed that the Son of
God would uproot their torrid little kingdoms. The rich young ruler came face
to face with Christ, but went away sorrowful because he could not forsake his
wealth for a better treasure.
The woman taken in adultery was brought to Christ and uttered not a word in her
defense (for there was none). The ones (Jewish rulers) who meant the woman the
greatest harm, brought her to the One who could do her the most good - and DID!
The fallen woman who came to the Well of Jacob at the noonday hour came face to
face with Jesus and her life was changed forever, and her testimony brought
others to Him. Nicodemus came to Christ under cover of darkness one night in
Jerusalem, but forever after came openly in the light of day. Peter. the night
of Jesus' betrayal, looked at Jesus face to face immediately after his third
denial of the Lord and went out and wept bitterly for the next three days.
What, friend, has been YOUR response to coming face to face with Him? No One of
greater love and glory has ever done so much for one who deserves no mercy at
all, and no one ever will - but Jesus!
Only faintly now I see Him, With the darkened veil between, But a blessèd
day is coming, When His glory shall be seen. As that lovely old hymn
writer, Fanny Crosby, demonstrated, that vision that steadily radiates
from the portals of a Christian heart is far greater than the dark, pulsating
light of the worldly vision of those whose eyesight is 20/20. For now we see
through a glass, darkly; but then face to face. Can you just imagine the
joy of seeing Christ at that glorious morning of eternal day! All of the mist
of the morning shall distill into tears of joy, and the storm clouds evaporate
into resplendent brightness. Nothing shall come between to obscure our view of
that kind and loving face that was racked with pain for us on the brow of
Calvary Mount. Just as the Veil was rent that separated God's people from the
Holiest of Holies, so shall it be removed from our eyes to see the Lord
directly and not only with the dimming visions of our two eyes, but with our
hearts that are One with His. In shrouds of glory shall He appear to disperse
all darkness!
What rejoicing in His presence, When are banished grief and pain; When the
crooked ways are straightened, And the dark things shall be plain. The
purpose of Light is to reveal that which is hidden - both of dangers and
blessings. But, in the presence of Christ, no darkness can persist. It shall be
swept away as chaff before the gales of love. OUR natural ways are crooked
ways, but HIS are ever the straight and Narrow Way. Isaiah tells us what our
Lord will do for us: Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and
hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough
places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah
40:4-5)
Face to face—oh, blissful moment! Face to face—to see and know; Face to face
with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ Who loves me so. Sometimes I try to imagine
the love-bought hearts of those humble souls who were moved by the Holy Spirit
to write these beautiful hymns, along with the composers of the reverent music
to attend them. What gratitude we should have that God used these people to
instill love and faith in stronger measure to our hearts. They have brought us
evermore closer to a face to face meeting with Christ. WE see Him better, and
know Him more fully. then shall I know even as also I am known. Love
reveals and measures our souls. Love lifted me, love drew me with bands of iron
appeal, love will never let me go - and it is His love that is the generator of
my love, and my own love only an echo of His.
When we look into the face of Jesus, we shall see a love
that defies explanation in its enormity, it sweetness, and its fidelity. His
love traverses the farthest reaches of space and time, and beyond. How
marvelous!
Has His love been seeded in your heart, and has it borne
fruit?
