Qualities of a Christian Life
by David Gibson
For years, I have taught that the balanced Christian life includes these four things:
- prayer,
- Bible study,
- fellowship with Christians, and
- involvement in the Lord’s work.
And for even longer, I have sung the classic hymn “Take Time to Be Holy.”
But then it dawned on me that this song includes all four of these essential qualities of the healthy Christian life:
- Prayer: “Take time to be holy, / Speak oft with thy Lord.”
- Bible study: “Abide in Him always, / And feed on His word.”
- Fellowship: “Make friends of God’s children”
- Involvement in the Lord’s work: “Help those who are weak.”
Just as a car must have all four wheels on the ground to make progress, all four essential elements of the Christian life must be there if we hope to move onward and upward.
In the hymnal we use in our congregation, under the title “Take Time to Be Holy,” is this passage: “Be holy in all you do” (I Peter 1:15-16 NIV, 1984).
Though W. D. Longstaff penned this hymn in 1882, it is as relevant today as ever. May we not only practice what we preach but also practice what we sing, making sure we faithfully maintain all aspects of the life God has called us to live.
Taking time for each of them.
