CHRIST LIVETH IN ME

          "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)   This is the scripture and truth that led to the writing of this beautiful song.  This has always been one of my favorites for two reasons.  First, I love the harmony and the backtime.  I love to hear the four parts when sung by a quartete.  But more importantly, I am always struck by the truth of the words - Christ liveth in me.  What a powerful truth and as a result, what a tremendous responsibility.  Do folks that I meet day by day sense this truth.  Do they see Christ in what I say, what I do, where I go, how I work, and how I react?  As the author, Daniel W. Whittle (1840-1901), states in his prose, do "life and light and love come forth from Christ living in me"?  Is the longing of my heart "that like Him I may be"?  Powerful questions.  Whittle reached the rank of major in the American civil war, and for the rest of his life was known as "Major" Whittle.  During the war, Whittle lost his right arm, and ended up in a prisoner of war camp. Recovering from his wounds in the hospital, he looked for something to read, and found a New Testament. Though its words challenged him, he was still not ready to accept Christ.  Thinking he was a Christian, an orderly who saw him reading the Testament asked him to pray with a dying prisoner.  But Whittle agreed to go and later said, "I dropped on my knees and held the boy's hand in mine. In a few broken words I confessed my sins and asked Christ to forgive me. I believed right there that He did forgive me." After the war, Whittle became treasurer of the Elgin Watch Company in Chicago,. In less than 10 years, though, he entered the evangelism field. Of his decision to devote his life to the Gospel, Whittle said that, while at work, he "went into the vault and in the dead silence of the quietest of places I gave my life to my Heavenly Father to use as He would."  During this period he worked with musicians Phillip Bliss and James McGranahan. His daughter, May Moody, also wrote music for some of his lyrics.   It would be McGranahan who would eventually add the music to Whittle's prose to complete this beautiful song.  I trust that you are able to make these words your testimony,  "Christ liveth in me.  Oh! what a salvation this, that Christ liveth in me."  May our lives reflect this truth each day and may others daily see evidence of this in all that we do.

1.     Once far from God and dead in sin,

No light my heart could see;

But in God's Word the light I found,

Now Christ liveth in me.

Christ liveth in me,

Christ liveth in me;

Oh! what a salvation this,

That Christ liveth in me.

2      As rays of light from yonder sun,

The flow'rs of earth set free,

So life and light and love come forth

From Christ living in me.

Now Christ liveth in me.

Christ liveth in me,

Christ liveth in me;

Oh! what a salvation this,

That Christ liveth in me.

3     As lives the flow'r within the seed,

As in the cone the tree,

So, praise the Christ of truth and grace,

His Spirit dwelleth in me.

Now Christ liveth in me.

Christ liveth in me,

Christ liveth in me;

Oh! what a salvation this,

That Christ liveth in me.

4     With longing all my heart is filled,

That like Him I may be,

As on the wondrous thought I dwell 

That Christ liveth in me.

Now Christ liveth in me.

Christ liveth in me,

Christ liveth in me;

Oh! what a salvation this,

That Christ liveth in me.

You can listen to it here.   LISTEN