Take Time To Be Holy
Take Time to Be Holy
Take time to be holy,
Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always,
And feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children;
Help those who are weak;
Forgetting in nothing
His blessing to seek.
Take time to be holy,
The world rushes on;
Much time spend in secret
With Jesus alone;
By looking to Jesus,
Like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct
His likeness shall see.
Take time to be holy,
Let Him be thy guide,
And run not before Him
Whatever betide;
In joy or in sorrow
Still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus,
Still trust in His Word.
Take time to be holy,
Be calm in thy soul;
Each thought and each motive
Beneath His control;
Thus led by His Spirit
To fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted
For service above.
THE SON of a wealthy ship merchant, William Longstaff was treasurer of his church and gave liberally to Christian causes. When evangelists D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey came to England, he assisted them financially, and he also wrote reports of the meetings for the Christian press.
A few years later Longstaff heard a sermon on the text “Be ye holy, for I am holy” and wrote down what holiness meant to him. A businessman at heart, Longstaff wrote no flowery or pious-sounding verses, but these down-to-earth thoughts.
The hymn appeared in a Christian newspaper in 1882 and was promptly forgotten. But years later gospel composer George Stebbins, who was leading music in India in connection with evangelistic services there, remembered the poem when he was asked if there was a good hymn on living a holy life. Retrieving the newspaper clipping he had saved, he set the poem to music.
Warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15
From the book
