Worship Song of the Month

October 22: All I Have Is Christ

In looking together at the first two verses of this song, we recognize our helplessness without Christ, our need for his grace, and our dependence on him. In the final verse, we celebrate what it means to say, All I Have Is Christ.

The person who has put her trust in Jesus will desire to put Jesus first (“yours alone”). She will want to live a life that is above reproach (“live so all might see”). But this life of obedience to Christ is not for her moral betterment. It is not for a feeling of personal satisfaction or self-righteousness. It is not to receive praise from others, or even acceptance from God. The Christ-follower knows that only in the power of the Holy Spirit can she obey in a way that is pleasing to God (“the strength to follow your commands could never come from me”), and the goal is God’s recognition, not her own (“my only boast is you”).

Jordan Kauflin shared with me that Philippians 3:7-12 was a major inspiration for “All I Have Is Christ”:

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

As we put our trust in Christ each day, we see that we are lost without him. We thank him for his initiative in saving us. We pray with reliance on his power and provision. And we desire to gain Christ and be found in him.

When I started this blog, I wanted to explore what it means to worship God. I wrote the following as my emphasis: God is both the means and the meaning, the Object and the Source. I think the final verse of “All I have is Christ” captures the essence of worship well. I am able to worship—both in “my ransomed life” and in “my song”—because of Jesus. And my worship—in life and in song—is for his glory.

For Reflection: Read Romans 11:33-12:2. Tell God that you desire him to be both the Object and Source of worship in your life. Praise him for his love and power. Ask him to show you ways to serve him. And thank him for the opportunities you have to be used by him.