Scripture Verse

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. Matthew 25:40

Introduction

Words: Charles D. Meigs, in Con­se­crat­ed Hymns (Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­van­ia: Gei­bel & Leh­man, 1902).

Music: Eli­za­beth M. Shields (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Meigs or Shields (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

The…lines were sug­gest­ed by a sto­ry told by Ge­ne­ral Booth who at one time de­sired to send a New Year’s greet­ing, by te­Le­gram and ca­ble­gram, to all the Sal­va­tion Ar­my Posts in the world.

Cablegrams are ex­pen­sive and have to be short. Gen Booth boiled his mes­sage down to a sin­gle word, but he was great enough to choose the big­gest word in all the dic­tion­ar­ies, so this was his mes­sage, and all of it—Oth­ers.

Lyrics

Lord, help me live from day to day
In such a self-for­get­ful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My pray­er shall be for—Oth­ers.

Refrain

Others, Lord, yes oth­ers,
Let this my mot­to be,
Help me to live for oth­ers,
That I may live like Thee.

Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sin­cere and true
And know that all I’d do for You
Must needs be done for—Oth­ers.

Refrain

Let Self be cru­ci­fied and slain
And bur­ied deep: and all in vain
May ef­forts be to rise again,
Unless to live for—Oth­ers.

Refrain

And when my work on earth is done,
And my new work in Heav’n’s be­gun,
May I for­get the crown I’ve won,
While think­ing still of—Oth­ers.

Refrain