HAVE THINE OWN WAY, LORD

"We are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we shall be the work of Thy hand."  

Isaiah 64:8

 

What can you do with a hardened heart? A hardened heart cost Pharaoh his kingdom in the days of Moses.  It kept the Jews from following their long-awaited Messiah. However, Jesus' disciples were molded and shaped into powerful spokesmen because they were pliable in His hands.  The Lord patiently shaped them as a potter might fashion a lump of clay into a vessel of beauty, righteousness, and usefulness. When our hearts are easy to mold, God can do great things through us!  

Our lovely song, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord," is one of my all-time favorites.  Our beautiful song speaks of the relationship between the clay (ourselves) and God the Potter.

"Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?"  (Romans 9:21)

Isn't it amazing what God can do through us if our heart is pliable!  We have the hope of being molded into what He wants us to be and not stuck in our old ways of living, the unrefined old man of sin.   Our God does the refining, molding, and reshaping.  This process of metamorphosis or transformation can only be accomplished through His Word. God's Word can pierce our soul and spirit and judge our hearts' thoughts and intentions.  Our Master Potter can take us as a lump of clay and change us into something beautiful and new.   However, the "clay" must humble themselves, be willing to yield and realize that God can transform them into the likeness of Christ as they submit to Him, the Potter.  The Potter has the power to fix and mend us.  The clay must be humble enough to see themselves as broken vessels needing the Master Potter to fix them.

"Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.  15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness."  (Romans 6:13-18)   

The clay must humbly look to God to cleanse them from sin.  

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 'Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear[a] my words.' 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.  5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’  12 'But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.''"  (Jeremiah 18:1-12)

The Potter can cleanse the clay from impurities (sin) when the clay humbly bows before Him in complete submission (Phil 2:20).  The clay must allow the Potter to rule their hearts.  A heart that is willing to yield, be molded, and shaped by the Master Potter is exemplified by the plea, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord."  

In Jeremiah 18:1-3, God is pictured as the Potter and man as the clay.  God commanded the prophet Jeremiah to go to the house of a potter (Jeremiah 18:1-12).  By Jeremiah going to the potter's house, he would hear the message that God would give him and also have it illustrated before him.  God uses physical things, common things, to illustrate and convey His message as in this case.  The prophet Jeremiah goes to the potter's house and notices that the potter is making something at the wheel.  As Jeremiah was watching the potter working at the wheel, he noticed that the vessel made of clay was marred or ruined in the hand of the potter.  The vessel was not suitable. It could not be used for the purpose it was intended.  So, Jeremiah watched as the potter carefully took the clay and began remolding it in his hands to form a vessel that would be useful and suitable for its intended purpose.

In His mercy, our Lord and Savior looks for humble souls that will allow Him to shape and mold them into instruments of righteousness. God can mold us into whatever instruments of service that He and the Body of Christ need and require. As clay in the hands of our Potter, our Father, we are totally pliable to our Creator's will, subject to his acts of creation, desiring to be the product of a great Creator.

God is the Potter who shapes and molds.   

God is in control and knows what He is making. Indeed, God can make something useful and suitable for His purpose.  He doesn't toss the clay, but rather He remolds it. And just as the potter in Jeremiah patiently began remolding the clay, our God is doing the same with us, the clay.   We are clay in the hands of a mighty God.  God, the Potter, knows what kind of vessel He intends for us to be.  The Master Potter wants useful and suitable vessels for His service. Thus, we must allow the Potter to mold us to His glory (Isaiah 64:8).

The clay must be soft and pliable, willing to develop and thrive in the potter's hands. 

However, when the clay begins to harden, it cannot develop properly, the way the Potter needs it to be to continue working on us. How wonderful it is that the Potter is willing to shape us and reshape us if we humbly allow Him to have His own way with us!!   Our God wants to reform the clay to be fit and useful for Him. We are the work of the Potter's mighty hands!

How wonderful it is that our Master Potter will not throw away the marred clay, but He will continue to make the clay that is soft and pliable into a suitable and acceptable vessel!  

• Are you willing to become that servant, be humble, and meet the needs within the Body of Christ as clay?  
• Are you willing to become that servant when our Lord needs zeal and enthusiasm?  
• Will you allow the Master Potter to make you and mold you into what He wants you to be? 
• Will you allow God, the Master Potter, to make you and mold you into a vessel of honor, useful to Him and prepared for every good work? (2 Timothy 2:20-22).  
• Or will you prefer to remain as vessels of dishonor, comfortable in their marred state of selfishness and sinfulness?  

For the Master Potter to reshape you, you must be willing to yield and let Him push you away from your comfort zone of pleasure and sin.   Our Lord wants useful, holy vessels, and He will find them.  

And though the process of being shaped and molded is not an easy task, the Master Potter is willing to make a beautiful masterpiece of the clay, though it will take time and effort.  However, God, the Potter, is willing to do it.  Are you?

"Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord.  'Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.'"  (Jeremiah 18:6)

May we humbly allow our Master to have His own way with us, the clay.  May we, the clay, allow Him to mold and refine us into vessels of righteousness.  May we be submissive, pliable, and moldable clay in the mighty hands of our Mater Potter.  

I hope the lovely words of our beautiful song, "Have Thine Own Way, Lord," stir your soul the way it does mine.

Have Thine own way, Lord

Have Thine own way!

Thou art the potter I am the clay. 

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting yielded and still

Have Thine own way, Lord

Have Thine own way!

Search me and try me, Master today!

Whiter than snow Lord wash me just now,

As in Thy presence humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord, 

Have Thine own way! 

Wounded and weary, Help me, I pray!

Power, all power, Surely is Thine! 

Touch me and heal me, Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord

Have Thine own way!

Hold o'er my being absolute sway!

Filled with Thy Spirit till all shall see

Christ only always living in me.

Luci

"YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN"

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

John 3:3

Few ideas grip the imagination like the image of a worm transforming into a butterfly. The apostle Paul said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” and he used the word for “metamorphosis.” (Romans 12:1-2) You can become what you are not! Jesus said you must be “born again.” The power that brings that about is the power of the Gospel message (Romans 1:16).

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'"

The beloved song, “Ye Must Be Born Again,” stresses the need to be born again.  Our song recounts the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night (John 3:1-2).  Nicodemus recognized Jesus as a teacher who came from God.  He was about to ask Jesus about His message, but Jesus stopped him with these words, “you must be born again” (John 3:4-5). 

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.' 3 Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.' 4 Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?' 5 Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'"

Jesus’ message to him applies to all “children of men” (humanity) because all have sinned (Romans 3:23).  

All humanity must attend to Jesus’ Word, for they will be judged according to that Word.

"The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day" (John 12:48).  

The message of His Word is that we all must be born again by the Gospel.

"For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15-16).  

Thus, all humanity is compelled to respond to the Gospel message of Christ to be saved.  Those who wish to have eternal life must be born of God.

"And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life" (1 John 2:25).

"Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God" (1 John 4:4-6).  

There is a glorious rest for those born of God.

"Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.[a] 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, 'As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest,’ although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: 'And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.' 5 And again in this passage he said, 'They shall not enter my rest.'  6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, 'Today,' saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.'  8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.'"  (Hebrews 4:1-10)

The ransomed will sing the song of blest.

"And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll  and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'"  (Revelation 5:8-10)  

Those who respond to the Gospel Message and are thus born again by the incorruptible seed will receive their final reward.

"Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for  'All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.'  And this word is the good news that was preached to you.'"  (1 Pet. 1:22-25)

 This is the hope for those who the precious blood of Jesus has ransomed.  

Thus, 

“Ye must be born again, Ye must be born again; I verily, verily, say unto thee, Ye must be born again.” 

CONCLUSION:

Sadly, many call themselves Christians but misunderstand the concept of being born again. Jesus stresses the need for regeneration to enter the kingdom of God by saying, “Ye Must Be Born Again.” To be born again, one must obey the Gospel, God’s terms of pardon.

It is widely taught that one is “born again” before and without baptism.  The problem with this teaching is that Jesus clearly taught that one cannot be born again without obeying the true Gospel of Christ.  Peter calls it the imperishable seed (1 Peter 1:22-23).  John 3:3-7 says that to enter the kingdom of God, he must be born again.  So what does that new birth include?  Simply two essential elements:  one must be born of water and of the Spirit to become a child of God. Those who disregard what Jesus taught on this matter are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ and do not have God and are thus misleading many into error.  They are teaching the doctrines and commandments of men!  They are blind guides misleading and deceiving many souls to their own destruction (2 John 9-11; Gal. 1:8,9; Matt. 15:9,14; etc.).  New birth and radical transformation must happen for Jesus to heal us of our sins.  We can only have a relationship with Him when we look to Him, desiring to do His will. 

Through Jesus, the new birth and radical transformation are possible, for He can heal us of our sins when we seek Him by faith, following Him and doing His will, and pursuing a sincere relationship with Him.  Through the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins is available to all. The new birth, the new life, is “in Christ” (1 Cor. 4:15; 15:22; 2 Cor. 5:17).  We are “born again” by the incorruptible seed, which is God’s Word, the Gospel preached to us (1 Peter 1:22-25).  The new birth is the product of the seed planted (the Gospel, the Word of God) and then germinates and produces abundant fruit.  We become children of God through His Word (Luke 8:11) that is planted in the hearts of men when they hear the Gospel.  The sincere heart heeds the words of Jesus, believes them, and obeys them, thus becoming “born again” as Christians, experiencing the new birth, the new life in Christ (Cf. James 1:18; 1 Cor. 4:15).  The seed reproduces after its kind (Galatians 6:7).  So we must make sure that the seed, the Message, that we teach for others to hear is the true Gospel!  Why?  Because we can plant the wrong seed in God’s Garden and not be able to grow the kind of plant that God wants.  We cannot be born again when we accept a different Gospel.

May we teach those living in darkness how to enter the kingdom of God and be born again.  May they understand that to be born again, they must obey the proper seed, the Gospel, to become a child of God and be in His kingdom.  May we grow in grace and knowledge as those who have been born again of water and the Spirit.  

A ruler once came to Jesus by night 

To ask Him the way of salvation and light;

The Master made answer in words true and plain, 

‘Ye must be born again.’

Ye children of men, attend to the Word, 

So solemnly uttered by Jesus the Lord; 

And let not this message to you be in vain,

‘Ye must be born again.’

O ye who would enter that glorious rest, 

And sing with the ransomed the song of the blest, 

The life everlasting if ye would obtain, 

‘Ye must be born again.’

Chorus,

Ye must be born again, Ye must be born again;

I verily, verily, say unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Luci

THE DUTIES OF THE NEW WAY

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

When the apostle Paul says that we become a new creation in Christ, he does not mean that we are automatically given a new state of being as if by miracle. His point is that we MUST become a new creation. We must live the life that Jesus taught. If we do that, if we truly listen and learn how to live, then we become something new. It is a deliberate transformation from old habits into new ones.

Christians have moral responsibilities before God toward those around them.  All disciples of Christ have responsibilities given and commanded by Him. Jesus has taught us how to live our lives to please Him. When we obey the Gospel, we become new creatures of righteousness, striving to do the will of God as we remove all our old ways, bad habits, and sins from our lives.  In Ephesians 4:17-24, the apostle Paul declares,

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

The apostle Paul urges Christians to put off the old man and put on the new man. The Lord commands us to remove from our lives all that hinders us from walking in righteousness and holiness, doing the will of the Father.  

"Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.  5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them."  (Ephesians 4:25-5:7)

In Ephesians 4:25-5:7, the apostle gives us a list of things that we must remove from our lives:  

1. Lying.
2.  Sinful anger.
3.  Stealing.
4.  Corrupt speech.
5.  Bitterness.
6.  Malice.
7. Wrath.
8. Clamor.
9. Slander
10. Sexual immorality.
11. Impurity.
12. Covetousness
13. Filthiness.
14. Foolish talk.
15. Crude joking.
16. And many sins such as these that make us stumble. 

Those who walk in newness of life must not engage in any of these sins, for it is a shame to even speak of those things they do in secret. Instead, we’re urged to be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving, walking in love, being imitators of Christ.

Paul stresses some things we must cleanse from our lives to please God. For example, he commands women to wear modest apparel that reflects godliness (1 Timothy 2:8-10). Why?  Because we are now new creatures, who walk in righteousness in Christ, refusing to walk in darkness or do the will of the prince of darkness.  

"I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works."

In Galatians 5:19-21, he gives us another list of works of the flesh that we must avoid in our walk with Christ:  

1. Adultery.
2. Fornication.
3. Uncleanness.
4. Lewdness. 
5. Idolatry. 
6. Sorcery.
7. Hatred. 
8. Contentions.
9. Jealousies. 
10. Outbursts of wrath. 
11. Selfish ambitions. 
12. Dissensions. 
13. Heresies. 
14. Envy. 
15. Murders. 
16. Drunkenness. 
17. Revelries, and the like.  

Those who have not learned this new life have not learned Christ. They must be concerned because no one who practices such things will inherit the kingdom of God.  It’s amazing how many warnings our Lord has given us!  Another one is found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.  

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Take heed! We must cease to practice these sins.   

In Ephesians 5:22-23, we learn that Christians are responsible for behaving in a new way with their families:  husbands, wives, and children.  

• Wives must submit to the husband’s headship as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22-24).  
• Husbands must love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify and cleanse her (Ephesians 5:25-29).  
• Children must honor their father and mother, that it may be well with them, and that they may live long on the earth (Ephesians 6:1-3).  They must obey their parents and respect them while being trained at home.
• Fathers must not provoke their children to wrath but raise them in the fear of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

Christians also have responsibilities to Christ and the church.   

• Prayer is another significant responsibility the Lord gives (Colossians 4:2-4; Thessalonians 5:17-18; Philippians 4:6-7).
• We must devote ourselves to serious Bible study to present ourselves as approved of God, rightly dividing the Word of God, that He not put us to shame (2 Timothy 2:15).  We must spend more time in Bible reading and studying in-depth, even if we think we know enough.  
• We must also meet together every first day of the week, for it’s commanded (Hebrews 10:22-26).  We hold fast to the confession of our hope when we exhort one another to love and good works on Sundays.  We must not neglect the assembling of the saints. 
• When we come together, we fulfill our duty to partake of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-29; Acts 20:7).  
• We must give the Lord a portion of what He has prospered us with, giving with a cheerful heart to the Lord (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:5-7).   
• Christians must teach others the good news, the Gospel, always defending our hope with meekness and fear (1 Peter 3:15 Colossians 4:5; Acts 8:3-4; and Hebrews 5:11-14).  
• We’re commanded to grow in the Lord in grace and knowledge and teach what we learn to others so that they may know God and be saved from the guilt and practice of sin.  
• Finally, we’ve been given the most critical responsibility: to put God first in everything we do (Matthew 6:31-34; Luke 14:15-24, 33).  There is no room for excuses in the life of a Christian, for we must put God first to be faithful disciples of Jesus.  He must take priority even over our families (Matthew 10:37).  

All these duties or responsibilities are commands given by God.  We must fulfill them since He showed us so much mercy and grace when He sent His Son to die for us and redeem us.  

May we never allow ourselves to become hardened in sin.  May we live the life that Jesus taught.  May we always strive to do God’s will to please Him.  

Luci

NONE OF SELF AND ALL OF THEE

"Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Mark 8:34

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BRETHREN AND FRIENDS FROM THE PARTAINS!

Indeed, 2021 has been another challenging and painful year for many of us. It has been a season of sorrows, tears, and burdens.   So many are hurting because of their losses!  I’m praying for them. However, we have learned many helpful lessons along the way. Despite the pain and challenges we have had to endure, there are many reasons for which we must still be thankful to God. We must be mindful of His many blessings toward us, even when life seems difficult and we struggle.  

Even amid our troubling and dark times, God shows His goodness and kindness toward us.   As the New Year 2022 quickly approaches, I am sure we are ready to bid farewell to 2021. I hope that as 2022 arrives, it will bring hope for a better year and a clean slate to write a new chapter in our lives. Every year at this time, we wonder what the Lord will have in store for us in the coming year. Despite the circumstances, we are pleased with what our God has accomplished through us in 2021. We are grateful to God for the glories He has shown us despite our trials and sufferings! Isn't it exciting and wonderful to imagine that God has no limits to what He might do in our lives?! Our hope for our brethren and friends this coming year is that you have a year full of wonder and Grace. 

Every new year we have new hope and a second chance. No matter how badly we failed this year, we still have a second chance to do things better in the new year. When our Lord pardons our faults, He gives us the hope that tomorrow will be better and more fruitful. As we come to the end of this year and the beginning of a new one, let us examine ourselves and reflect on how we have used the past year, choosing to do better and make better and wiser use of the time the Lord has granted us. The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to make changes that can make a huge eternal difference in our lives. There is no greater need in one’s life than maintaining a good relationship with our Creator! We must make a change to improve our relationship with God. 

My focus for the New Year shall be "None of Self and All of Thee."

I.   NONE OF SELF AND ALL OF THEE:

As the new year approaches, let us refocus on those things most essential and recommit ourselves completely to God. Let me suggest a few:

• Let us have less of self and more of Him.  
• Let us put the will of our Lord Jesus Christ first in our lives.  
• Let us redeem the time and not allow anything or anyone to distract us from serving our Lord and His kingdom of righteousness.  
• Let us put ourselves to death. When we crucify ourselves with Christ, we no longer live, but Christ lives in us (Gal. 2:20). Let us strive to live for Christ and not ourselves! 
• Let us deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ (Mk. 8:34).
• Let us strive to know God better and walk in a manner worthy of His calling.
• Let us bear abundant fruit to God’s glory. 
• Let us examine our hearts, look back at our lives, and devote ourselves entirely to God (1 Pet. 4:1-2).  
• Let us aim to become poorer in spirit (Matt. 5:3).
• Let us bolster our faith! 
• Let us grow in Grace and strengthen our faith (Mk. 4:26-28). As our faith grows and develops, we start having none of self and all of God. We begin to fathom the width, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love (Eph. 3:18-19). Christ can only conquer our hearts when we give up ourselves and surrender to Him completely (Rom. 5:5).  
• Let us serve God better and more faithfully. Let us use the gifts the Lord has given us to serve Him abundantly.  
• Let us be more active in evangelism and start saving souls, for they are precious to God, our Creator.  
• Let us be more zealous for the Lord and not be afraid and lukewarm.  
• Let us have more love and kindness.  
• Let us be more disciplined and have self-control.  
• Let us not be ashamed of Jesus and the Gospel, pull back, and neglect our gifts to further God’s kingdom.  
• Let us not be ashamed or afraid to talk to people who do not know the remedy for sin. Do not be ashamed of Him who has saved us, even though the outcome of our faith may cause hardship and troubles! Should we be ashamed of Jesus, or should He be ashamed of us?! (Hebrews 2:11; Mark 8:38)  Should we be ashamed of our Rescuer?! Should we be ashamed of our hope?! Should we be ashamed of the life that Jesus has brought to us?! Let us not have a silent faith!  
• Let us fight for our faith and hope like good soldiers of Christ! A brave and good soldier is not distracted on the battlefield. He is not entangled with other things. He is focused on doing what his Commander says to do. A good soldier acknowledges that distractions will keep him from serving and pleasing the one who enlisted him. He is single-minded, focused, and not distracted by daily affairs (everyday life, our country, sports, entertainment, social media, cultural problems, politics, jobs, hobbies, and devices). Remember, a good soldier pleases the Lord and is not distracted, for he is focused on God’s kingdom of righteousness! Let us be good soldiers of Christ!  
• Finally, let us be good athletes who compete by the rules to win. Which rules? Those sufferings that require us to take up our cross to follow our Lord (2 Tim. 1:8; 2:3). The rule for the athlete is not to avoid difficulties but to be willing to take up his cross, follow Jesus and suffer for Him (Matthew 16:24). The good athlete competes by the rules. He is willing to suffer shame, pain, rejection, and death. His reward is the crown of life forever! God will exalt him to His right hand! The rules of this race require us to die to ourselves, not save our lives at any cost.

CONCLUSION:

Let us purpose in our hearts this year and for the rest of our lives not to fear and be ashamed of our Lord and His kingdom of righteousness. Let us proclaim Him and His Message to the world of darkness! Let us be faithful and endure that we might reign with Him.  But to accomplish that, we must not be ashamed and give up! We must be willing to suffer, lose our lives, be faithful, and stand up for Him! Moreover, let us be strengthened by the Grace in Christ to be more merciful, compassionate, loving, and forgiving. Remember Jesus and the Grace found in Him!  

The truth is that this might be the last year for many of us! Will we be one of those who will stand before God this coming year, or will we live to see many more years? Only God knows!  

Thus, let us choose to serve our God better. While we still have the breath to live, let us be grateful to our Creator and bear much fruit to His glory. Let us show our gratefulness by our devotion and service to Him as good soldiers who endure until the end and are approved of God, receiving their great reward (2 Tim. 2:14-26). Let us be instruments for honorable use (2 Tim. 2:20-21). To be honorable instruments to God, we must cleanse ourselves from the things of this world, dishonorable things, and start purifying our lives from the filth that stains us. To be an instrument for honorable use to our God, we must run from the passions and lusts of the flesh and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace from a pure heart. There is no other way to be useful to our Master and be ready for every good work!  

Let us make an inventory within our hearts to get out of the mud and be clean! Let the world watch in awe as they see our sincere faith and devotion to our Lord!  

May we further our service in God’s kingdom this year and each day of our walk with Him.  May we evaluate our strengths and weaknesses to fulfill God’s purpose. 

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Col. 3:23)

I want to encourage each of us with the song, “None of Self And All of Thee,” to put the will of Christ first in our lives, giving ourselves up and thus committing ourselves completely to Him.  

O, the bitter pain and sorrow That at time could ever be,

When I proudly said to Jesus, ‘All of self, and none of Thee.’

Yet He found me; I beheld Him Bleeding on th’accursed tree,

And my wistful heart said faintly, ‘Some of self, and some of Thee.’

Day by day His tender mercy, Healing, helping, full and free,

Brought me lower while I whispered, ‘Less of self, and more of Thee.’

Higher than the highest heavens, Deeper than the deepest sea,

Lord, Thy love at last has conquered: ‘None of self, and all of Thee.’

Luci

HARVEST TIME

"Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." 

John 4:35

Our lovely song, “Harvest Time,” is a  Gospel song that compels us to look on the white fields that are ready to harvest.  Jesus sees the world of humanity as hopelessly destroyed by bad behavior, lost like sheep without a shepherd. However, He also sees our world as a wheat field ready for harvest. The song before us urges Christians to get engaged in reaping the Lord’s harvest.  Jesus tells us we need to participate in His harvest, the reaping of souls (Matt. 20:1-7).  He wants devoted volunteers who will gather far and near.  The Lord wants us to labor in His harvest and not sit or stand idle (Matt. 13:38).  The world is the field He has called us to labor.  He wants us to seek those souls who don’t know Him and lead them from the ways of sin.  Jesus urges us to be involved in His harvest, reaping souls who have gone astray like sheep that need to be sought and rescued (Lk. 15:4-7).  Our Lord and Master, the owner of the harvest, has promised to reward us if we serve others the way He wants us to serve Him (Matt. 25:34-40).   

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.'"  (Matt. 20:1-7)

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.'"  (Lk. 15:4-7)

 

I.   “LIFT YOUR EYES UPON THE HARVEST”

“… Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (Jn. 4:35)

Each Christian must go out into the hedges and highways to bring the lost to the Lord.

"But he said to him, 'A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.'"  (Lk. 14:16-23)  

The Lord has already given us the Message of the Gospel that we must preach to all nations under heaven (Mk. 16:15-16).  That Message tells the world of the Savior’s love shown by His death on Calvary (Rom. 5:8).  The Gospel Message proclaims full and free salvation to everyone who accepts it (Rom. 1:16-17).  

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'  18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.'"

God wants us to look upon the fields and notice that they are white and ready for reaping.  He is urging us to lift up our eyes upon the harvest. He commands us to be reapers in His harvest.  The fields are ripened with souls that are just waiting to be harvested!  There is fruit over all the land. Thus, we must pray to God to send laborers to His harvest (Matt. 9:37-38).  Those who have labored patiently and diligently in God’s fields will produce fruit as they plant and water.  God will give the increase (1 Cor. 3:6).  

The Lord’s work must be done before the night of life falls (John 9:4).  Death is the time when the reaper’s work is done (Heb. 9:27).   Knowing this truth, let us use the time that God has granted us to bring in the sheaves (Ps. 126:6).  Wake up!  The Master is calling us, the reapers, to be diligent workers in His vineyard!  (Matt. 20:6-7).  Many precious souls need to hear the calling of the Lord, the Gospel Message, and respond so that their souls may be rescued from sin.  Of course, the ultimate harvest time will be the end of the world when the final reckoning is made (Matt. 13:39). The reapers on that day will be God's holy angels.

CONCLUSION:  

God is urging the reapers, all true Christians, to see the importance of looking at the ripened grain ready for reaping.  Lift your eyes upon the fields!  The golden grain is bending low.  Let us not waste one ripe kernel of that grain.  To the harvest of souls, we must go!

God’s Word is the seed.  The seed is planted through the preaching of the Gospel in the soil of people’s hearts.   Let us preach the Gospel to this dark world of sin and water the seed of God’s Word through continued teaching and gather a mighty harvest of people, lost souls, as they obey the Truth.  Every Christian must be engaged in this process of harvesting souls.  The Lord is compelling us to lift our eyes upon the harvest!  

So let us get busy working for the Lord as soon as possible.  Let us wake up and labor diligently for the Master and Lord in His “Harvest Time.”  Let us see the harvest as Jesus saw it so that we may win souls to Christ effectively.  Jesus saw the harvest as lost souls dying and facing judgment (condemnation) eternally.  Jesus saw the harvest as plentiful, precious, harassed, helpless, hopeless, and perishing. For all of these reasons, He saw them as His priority.  There are many lost souls everywhere! Are you able to see them?  Are you doing anything today to teach them the Good News of salvation?  Or are you wasting your time on something else rather than proclaiming the Gospel to the lost?

"Arise! Arise! The Master calls for thee; Arise! Arise! A faithful reaper be. Arise!
The field is white, and days are going by; Awake, awake, And answer, ‘Here am I.'"

May we pray that God send forth laborers to reap a great and mighty harvest of souls for His glory.  May Christians arise and hear the Master’s call. May we be faithful reapers, for the field is white and ready to be harvested.  May we proclaim the Gospel Message to every soul that needs to be saved, for they are precious to the Master and Lord of the harvest.

We have a song that stirs us to enter the harvest with joy and join the volunteers who are daily growing everywhere.  The title is "Harvest Time."  

Arise! The Master calls for thee, The harvest days are here!

No longer sit with folded hands, But gather far and near.

The noble ranks of volunteers Are daily growing everywhere,

But still there’s work for millions more! Then for the fields prepare.

 

Go seek the lost and erring ones Who never knew the Lord;

Go lead them from the ways of sin, And thou shalt have reward.

Go out into the hedges where The careless drift upon the tide,

And from the highways bring them in–Let no one be denied.

The message bear to distant lands Beyond the rolling sea;

Go tell them of a Savior’s love–The Lamb of Calvary.

Arise! The Master calls for thee! Salvation full and free proclaim,

‘Til every kindred, tribe, and tongue Exalt the Savior’s name!

Chorus:

Arise! Arise! The Master calls for thee; Arise! Arise! A faithful reaper be. Arise!

The field is white, and days are going by; Awake, awake, And answer, ‘Here am I.’

Luci

OVERFLOWING WITH THANKSGIVING

 

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.’” 

John 7:37-39

The last year and a half has been a time of loss and grief for us. We are coming up on the season of Thanksgiving, and it is a struggle for us to imagine what we might be thankful for. By the Grace of God, our hearts are enlarged to see the greater picture and bow before our great and loving God to say thank you again every day for the beautiful things that He has done for us. Let us consider a lesson from the Gospels that shows the power of gratitude in an unlikely soul.

Jesus says that those who believe in Him will have rivers of living water flowing from their hearts. When we come to Jesus and drink the living water that He offers, the living water can flow from us to others. So my question is, what flows from your heart and life?  Can others see what’s flowing from our hearts?  This week many of us will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It is the time of the year when we pause, meditate, and give thanks for what we have.  I know this year and last year have been challenging for many of us. It might be a little more challenging to be thankful due to our losses and trials.  Indeed, this year has been rough!   Yet despite what’s negative in our lives, God wants us to overflow with thankfulness or thanksgiving, even in a rough year like this. Listen to Paul’s words.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) 

How can one be thankful, even amid trials and sorrows?  How can one overflow with thanksgiving? Let’s read God’s Word in the Gospel of Luke 17:11-19.  Let’s consider Jesus’ teaching for a little help with thanksgiving that overflows.

“On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’ 14 When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ 19 And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’”

 I.   GRATEFUL HEARTS THAT OVERFLOW WITH THANKSGIVING:

“On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’”  (Luke 17:11-13)

• The Condition and Cry of Ten Lepers:

When Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He entered a village where ten lepers met Him, though they stood far away because the Law of Moses commanded it. Hear what the Law said regarding those who had leprosy.  

“The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip  and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.’”  (Leviticus 13:45-46)

This reminds me of those who test positive for COVID.  I’ve been there.  We must stay far away. Limit any interaction with others and remain in quarantine for 14 days.  

• Imagine living that way, not for 14 days but in life?  
• Imagine not allowing anyone to come near you for years or the rest of your life?  
• Imagine living alone, separated from society and technology while you’re leprous?  
• How terrible it is to be cut off from the world!  

We must understand that those who had leprosy did not have a normal life like yours and mine.  

Going back to our story.  The ten lepers were standing at a distance because the Law commanded it. And though they were obeying the Law, they still cried out to Jesus, yelling.  “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” These ten acknowledged that Jesus had the power to change their lives.  They did not regard Jesus as just another teacher.  They did not see Jesus as just a rabbi, teaching good things about God. They acknowledged that Jesus had the power to heal them. Thus they cried out to Him with loud voices as they stood at a far distance from Jesus. They knew the Master would have mercy on them!  Master, have mercy on us!

• Healing:

“When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed.’”  (Luke 17:14)

It is strange what Jesus said and did.  Why?  Because He told these ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priests. Why must they show themselves to the priests?  Because they had been healed from their leprosy, and the priests had to verify their cleanness to be allowed back into society.  When  Jesus commanded these lepers to go and see the priests, they still had the skin condition, and it did not make any sense. But these ten lepers did what Jesus commanded.  They are on their way to see the priests in whatever city they might be found and, as they were going, they were cleansed.  We find some powerful words in verse 14.  

“And as they went they were cleansed.” 

• Jesus Asked An Important Question:

“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, 'Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”  (Luke 17:15-18)

Notice that in verses 15-16, one of the ten lepers turned back to praise God with a loud voice and fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving thanks to Him when he saw he was healed from his leprosy.  This grateful leper was on the ground thanking Jesus!  I can only imagine the gratitude of this leper’s heart and the praises he was offering to God!  This man had just gotten his life back!  

• He was destined to die, but Jesus gave him life. 
• He was destined to remain an outcast, but Jesus restored him to society. 
• He was destined to be alone, but Jesus brought him back into society.   

What a beautiful picture of gratitude in this man’s heart!  It moves us deeply! 

But Jesus asked a critical question in verse 17. 

“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?” 

Where is everyone else? Verse 18 gives us the answer.

“Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

• Didn’t any of the other nine lepers return to give God the glory except this foreigner?  
• Would no one else come back and give thanks to God? 
• Was no one else going to come back to praise God? 
• Why didn’t all ten of them return?

Let’s pause for a moment and think about what happened.  

• Do you think that if we were to ask the other nine lepers if they were grateful for being healed, they would say that they truly were grateful?  
• Could you believe that they were overflowing with gratitude now that they no longer had this terrible skin disease? 
• Do you think they would admit they were thankful for what Jesus did? 

Yes! Of course, they would!  Sadly, they did not express it!  

• They did not come back to thank Jesus and let Him know how grateful they were.  
• They did not praise God for being healed of such a terrible disease.  

You see, this is what Jesus was pointing out as their main problem. We may think in our hearts that we are grateful to God, but if we do not express our thankfulness, we are not thankful at all.  Instead, we show ourselves ungrateful. That is exactly what’s happening here in this story.  And though the other nine lepers might have been grateful for Jesus healing them, they did not thank Him, nor did they draw close to Him with thankful hearts.  They did not praise God or surrender completely to Him.  

• The Result:

“And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:19)

One of the ten lepers returned to Jesus, and it would be life-changing.  In verse 19, Jesus told this one leper who returned to thank Him, 

“Get up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you” (CSB).  

Another Bible translation says, 

“Your faith has made you well.” 

But notice that the Greek literally is,

“Your faith has saved you.” 

I believe this is the correct translation.  Why?  Because one out of ten lepers who were healed came back to Jesus and was saved.  This one-man experienced something much greater than what the other nine did.  And though all ten were healed, only one experienced much more because he came back to thank Jesus with a grateful heart.   

CONCLUSION:

So What Is Jesus Teaching Us?

Jesus is teaching us that it is not enough to feel grateful. It was not enough for the ten lepers to feel how great it was to be healed.  It was not enough to just believe they were thankful. Jesus is teaching us that gratitude or thankfulness must be expressed, not merely felt.

We must tell others that we are thankful for them. We must tell others that we are grateful for having them in our lives and what they mean to us.  Have you noticed how the apostle Paul started almost every letter he wrote in the scriptures?

 “I give thanks to my God always for you…”  (1 Corinthians 1:4). 

Paul was not hesitant to tell others how thankful he was to the Lord for them, the brethren.  Thinking it was not enough. Feeling it was not enough.  Paul always expressed his thankfulness or gratitude to others.  How will others know we are thankful for them if we fail to express our gratitude and appreciation?  Sadly, they will never know.   Our lack of words will express our lack of gratitude or appreciation.   You see, God’s children must overflow with thankfulness, and that means we must express it in words to others.

We must express our gratitude and thankfulness to our Lord for all He does, has done, and will do in our lives.  We must be grateful to God, and we must express such gratitude to Him!  It is disturbing to me that only one out of ten lepers returned to Jesus to thank Him.  It is hard to fathom how only one came back to Jesus with a grateful heart considering what He did for them!  Don’t you think that after being sick, cast away from society, and then being healed by Jesus would have made these ten lepers overflow with thanksgiving and grateful hearts?  

Only when we realize our desperate condition will we appreciate and express our gratitude to God.  We must see ourselves as the lepers in this story.  We Christians were once cut off from God, living alone, and destined for death. But because of God’s goodness and mercy (Grace), He sent Jesus to free us from our sins.  So, what will we do next?  What we do next is everything, according to Jesus. Ten are healed, but only one is saved. We can be healed, but we are missing out when we refuse to return to Jesus, expressing our sincere gratitude and praises to Him.  

It is so easy to fall into this trap and take what Jesus has done for us for granted! God has given us many reasons and memorials so that we might not forget, but continue to be grateful every day for what Jesus did for us. Our lack of gratitude keeps us from having a relationship with God.  

In Luke 17:19, Jesus said,

“Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” 

Jesus declared that this one leper returned with a thankful heart to express his faith.  How was his faith expressed? This leper expressed his faith when he returned to Jesus with a grateful heart that overflowed with thanksgiving.  The faith of the other nine was shallow and superficial.  And though they got what they wanted from Jesus, they missed out on so much more.  They missed out on worshiping God and praising Him.  However, the returning leper came back glorifying and praising God because he truly loved and believed in Jesus.  What a contrast!  

Grateful hearts overflow with thanksgiving because they acknowledge they’re not worthy of such blessings.  Ungrateful hearts show a lack of salvation.   Hearts that overflow with thanksgiving express their gratitude by the way they live.  They express their gratitude by the way they worship God, and they do it daily.  Saving faith is an expression of giving thanks to God.  

Even amid so much grief and trials, there is so much for which we must be thankful to God in our lives! 

We must be grateful and overflow with thanksgiving until our last breath for what Jesus did for us.  We were destined to death, but because of what Jesus did, we now have the hope of eternal life.  Thus we must be grateful every day of our lives to Him and praise Him. Jesus gave us our life back!!  

May we thank Him for what He did for us, giving us our lives back, with every breath we take.  May we always be thankful for His steadfast love and for not abandoning us.  May we always have a heart of gratitude and never take the innumerable blessings we have through Christ Jesus for granted. 

I commend to you the words of the song “Thank you, Lord!”  It is a touching way for us to express our gratitude to God.  I hope you find it useful for your own expression of gratitude or thanksgiving.

For all that You’ve done, I will thank You, 

For all that You’re going to do. 

For all that You’ve promised and all that You are 

Is all that has carried me thru, Jesus, I thank You!

Chorus: 

And I thank You, thank You, Lord, 

And I thank You, thank You, Lord! 

Thank you for loving and setting me free. 

Thank You for giving Your life just for me.

How I thank You, 

Jesus, I thank You, 

Gratefully thank You. 

Thank You.

Luci