Not I, but Christ be honored, loved, exalted

B346 C433 CB591 E591 G591 K433 P295 R221 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.
40

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Nov 24 2023
Keith Cargin

Cedar Rapids, IA, United States

When my beautiful bride and I married in 1978, she joined with me in having “Not I But Christ” as our entrance march song. The hymn was “announced” with a short and sharp Trumpet fan-fair on the organ.

We then walked at the same time down the left(she) and right(me) aisles as “Not I But Christ” played on the organ, symbolically reserving the center aisle of honor as inviting Christ to walk down with us as the center of our lives and marriage together.

Jul 24 2023
Dodo, Enoch Mbwanzu

Abuja, FCT, Nigeria

Lord, that there be no trace of I be found in my pursuit of you!

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.

Jun 13 2023
Lois Ridgley

Tacoma, WA, United States

I love how old songs come to mind to fit my morning prayers! Holy Spirit, please be in my soul today.

May 21 2023
Jim Smith

Mansfield, Ohio, United States

I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live, but not I but Christ lives in me. And the life I live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me! The big I must be crucified so that He can be the little I living in me and I in Him. Oh that I would know Him more, that He would increase and I would decrease. Oh what a thought! ❤️

Jun 2 2022
John Tinger

Methuen, Massachusetts, United States

This song welled up in me this morning from a longing in me to experience Christ in every look and action. Oh how we need a deeper mingling with Christ every day by eating and enjoying Him as the Tree of Life. "Lord live Your life in us for the building up of Your body!

May 3 2022
L Hall

Arlington, TX, United States

oh to be lost in thee !

May 1 2022
Ifeoma Obiekwe

Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Please Lord Jesus make this song my daily experience and expression throughout my fleeting years in your priceless name I plead Amen

Apr 22 2022
Tosin Iyinbor

Ikotub, Lagos, Nigeria

Never to live for self again.

Willing to strict my legitimate right..

No to self, Yes to the Lord.

No longer going to be I.

Removing all rights unto my life

Jan 16 2022
Bon Zilwa

Johannesburg South, Gauteng, South Sudan

Christ only Christ, No trace of I be found! No idle word ever falling! Oh Lord kill every trace of I in me that Christ may live His life in me uncontested. I want to be lost in thee.

Jan 7 2022
Olu

Abuja, FCT, Nigeria

Take me to this point and never let me leave it O Lord! Let every other thing, person, name, issue, fade. Without Christ, I'm nothing. Why should I hold on to transience?!

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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Not I—the Lord be honored, loved, exalted
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