When I’m With You / An Original Work / April 22, 2011
When I’m with You, Lord, hear my cries.
Soon I’ll be with You, by Your side.
Harken to me; Lord, hear my plea
When I’m with You and You’re with me
Precious Savior, Lord, and my friend,
Life with You has no final end.
I’ll reign with You eternally
When I’m with You and You’re with me.
Father, God, my only desire.
Your word is in me like a fire.
I’ll sing Your praise all of my days
When I’m with You and You’re with me.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/when-i-m-with-you
YouTube video of song at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYi_-8oW8TI
I read on the subject of giving from 2 Corinthians 8-9 (quoting 9:6-15):
Sowing Generously
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:
“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
My Understanding: As I read chapter 8 on the subject of giving, it was very clear to me that this passage was covering the subject of financial giving. Yet, as I got into chapter 9, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart on yet another aspect of this giving, and that is in the giving of our time, talents, spiritual gifts, resources, etc. to God and to his service.
In Matthew 25 we read the Parable of the Talents. Now, a talent was a unit of money, so this was speaking of money, yet it is to be applied far beyond just the giving of money, I believe, based upon the other parables in this chapter of Matthew’s gospel, and based upon the end results that accompanied the use of the talents given the servants. God first of all gave us his Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Savior and Lord. He gave us his salvation through Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins and via his resurrection from the dead in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin. We are saved from our sins so that we no longer have to be controlled by sin any longer but we can live under the control of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are free to walk in fellowship with Jesus and to obey him in all things.
He gave us the word of God, the Bible, and he gave us his gospel message to share with the world. He gave us his Holy Spirit within us as a deposit guaranteeing our eternal life in heaven with God. The presence of the Holy Spirit within us is God’s Spirit within us so that we are now God’s temple, Christ’s body, and the Holy of Holies now dwells within us. So, he has given us, his servants, personal relationships with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – so that we can come daily into His presence, we can commune with him, and we can worship him in spirit and in truth. The Holy Spirit also is our guide, counselor, teacher, and encourager; he convicts of sin, etc. He gives us strength, power, understanding, etc., i.e. he gives us all we need within us to live, serve and to work for God in full obedience and love. And, he gives us spiritual gifts within us to be used for the edification and the building up of the body of Christ.
So, these servants in the Matthew parable were each given a measure of talents. Two of them multiplied their talents and the third buried his. To the ones who multiplied what they were given, they were given more and were also given God’s approval: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Yet, to the one who buried his talent, even what he had was taken away from him. He was to be thrown out into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is speaking about our salvation and all the spiritual riches God has given us in Christ Jesus (as listed above). Salvation is given to us by God’s grace and we do nothing to earn it, yet God expects that we prove the genuineness of our relationships with him via repentance, obedience, bearing fruit and via good works. This is the way in which we give back to God in thanksgiving for all that he has given to us.
So, when Paul states here in 2 Corinthians that whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly and he who sows generously will reap generously, he is speaking of much more than just this service of financial giving. This has to do with the spiritual seed we have been given to be sown in our own hearts and for us to sow in other people’s lives, in order to reap a spiritual harvest in our own hearts and in the lives of others. So, this has to do with the gifts given to us of Jesus Christ, his salvation, his Word, the gospel, our personal relationships with Jesus Christ via God’s grace and our faith, the Holy Spirit within us, and all that the Holy Spirit does for us and all that he has given to us, including our spiritual gifts. These have been sown into our lives by God in order to produce a spiritual harvest in our own hearts. We are to share Jesus, his gospel, his word and the gifts within us with the world and with the body of Christ, the church, in order to reap a harvest in other’s lives.
This, as well, is our grace of giving that we are to do cheerfully and willingly. And, it is God who makes the seed grow and multiply in people’s hearts and lives. And, it is God who will enlarge the harvest of our righteousness. Our job is just to be faithful as servants of the Lord in sowing all we have been given so that God may increase our harvest of righteousness. As a result of our obedience, men will praise God and will give thanks to God for his “indescribable gift,” the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ.
The following song is a prayer, mostly, for the Holy Spirit of God to fill us, and to help us to follow Jesus Christ with our lives so that we are his obedient servants in sharing with others his kindness, his generous compassion, his word, the gospel, his love and whatever blessings and gifts the Lord has given to us from above to share with others. I pray this will be your prayer, too. It is my prayer for my life.
My Prayer / An Original Work / May 30, 2011
“Fill me with Your Spirit; help me to love others;
Let me know Your power; be an overcomer.
Show me how to follow Jesus Christ, my Savior;
Be His faithful servant to obey Him always.
“Lead me with Your presence; help me know the right way;
Teach me love and kindness, generous compassion.
Give me grace and courage to be Jesus’ witness,
Teaching His salvation to a world who needs Him.”
Won’t you come and follow Jesus Christ, your Savior?
He died so you’d be free of control of your sin;
Free to follow His ways in complete surrender;
Living sacrifices – let His grace transform you.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/my-prayer
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4hFxxfJ8DA
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