Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879) has written many hymns that have been sung by Christians all over the world. She also wrote devotional books in the nineteenth century, the last of which was titled Kept For The Master's Use. It was published after Miss Havergal's death in 1879, and then in 1999 Moody Press Chicago republished it. From the Foreword to the late-nineteenth century edition: "It consists of separate chapters on each couplet of her well-known consecration hymn ["Take My Life and Let It Be", Number 253 in the 12th ed. of the Old School Hymnal]. Regarding the origin of this hymn, she once wrote in a letter to a friend:

"I went for a little visit of five days. . . . The last night of my visit I was too happy to sleep and passed most of the night in renewal of my consecration, and these little couplets formed themselves and chimed in my heart one after another, until they finished with:

"Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

On page 15, she writes: "When He has graciously again put a new song into our mouth, and we are singing,

"Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me His praise should sing?'

and again with fresh earnestness we are saying, "Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee!" are we now to look forward to the same disappointing experience over again? Are we always to stand at the threshold?"
"Consecration is not so much a step as a course. It is not so much an act as a position to which a course of action inseparably belongs. Insofar as it is a course and a position, there must naturally be a definite entrance upon it and a time when that entrance is made. That is when we say, "Take." But we do not want to go on taking the first step over and over again."
"What we want now is to be maintained in that position and to fulfill that course. So let us go on to another prayer. Having already said, "Take my life, for I cannot give it to Thee," let us now say--with deepened conviction that without Christ we really can do nothing--"Keep my life, for I cannot keep it for Thee."
"Let us ask this with the same simple trust to which, in so many other things, He has so liberally and graciously responded...."

On page 24, she includes a poem, but whether it was written by her or another isn't indicated:

Made for Thy love, Thy service, Thy delight;
Made to show forth Thy wisdom, grace, and might;
Made for Thy praise, whom veiled archangels laud;
O strange and glorious thought that we may be
A joy to Thee!

Yet the heart turns away
From this grand destiny of bliss, and deems
'Twas made for its poor self, for passing dreams,
Chasing illusions melting day by day
Till for ourselves we read on this world's best,
"This is not rest!"

On page 96, she writes the following sentence, then follows with two stanzas of a poem (author not indicated, possibly herself) and then injects others stanzas of the poem through the chapter that follows . . . I will give it complete below.

"Of His own have we given Him; for we love Him because He first loved us."

Set apart to love Him,
And His love to know;
Not to waste affection
On a passing show;

Called to give Him life and heart,
Called to pour the hidden treasure,
That none other claims to measure,
Into His beloved hand! Thrice blessed "set apart"!

He will keep what thus He sought,
Safely guard the dearly bought;
Cherish that which He did choose,
Always love and never lose.

Set apart for Jesus!
Is not this enough,
Though the desert prospect
Open wild and rough?

Set apart for His delight,
Chosen for His Holy pleasure,
Sealed to be His special treasure
Could we choose a nobler joy?--and would we if we might!

Now, Lord, I give myself to Thee,
I would be wholly Thine,
As Thou hast given Thyself to me,
And Thou art wholly mine;
O take me, seal me for Thine own,
Thine altogether, Thine alone.

The last chapter of this little book is titled "Christ for us". In this chapter, Miss Havergal points out some of the ways that Christ is "for us":

1. His life for you. "And we for whom He gave [His life] have held back and hesitated to give our lives, not even for Him (He has not asked us to do that) but to Him."

2. His eternity for you. "Millions of ages of unfoldings of all His love . . . . Think of it! And can we ever hesitate to give all our poor little hours to His service?"

3. His hands for you. "Literal hands; literally pierced, when the whole weight of His quivering frame hung from their torn muscles and bared nerves; literally uplifted in parting blessing. Consecrated, priestly hands; . . . Tender hands, touching and healing, lifting and leading with gentlest care. Strong hands, upholding and defending. Open hands, filling with good and satisfying desire (Psalms 104:28 and 145:16). Faithful hands, restraining and sustaining."

4. His feet for you. "They were weary very often, they were wounded and bleeding once. . . . and these blessed steps of His most holy life, both as substitution and example, were for you. Our place of waiting and learning, of resting and loving, is at His feet...."

She gives eight other ways that Christ is "for us", but there is not enough time and space to include it all here.

Hymnbooks usually use eight of the couplets for this hymn; the following is the full text of the hymn:

Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee
Take my moments and my days Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing Always, only, for my King
Take my lips and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use Every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine; It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; make it Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love; my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be Ever, only, all for Thee.