A song from Romans 12:7-8

Below are lyrics to a song John Piper wrote while preaching through Romans 12:1-8 in 2004. Kevin Potherician wrote music for the lyrics.

A Song From Romans 12:7-8

O Jesus, take my bent away
For thinking much of me,
And kill my pride, and from this day
With mercy make me free.

O Jesus, grant the gift to see
The treasure that you are,
And as the night eclipses me,
O be my Morning Star.

And now if I should serve, or lead,
Or give, or mercy show,
O Jesus, let my love be freed,
And like a river flow.

O Jesus, be the treasure of
My heart and all I do,
And may the river of my love,
Alone make much of you.

Piper's concluding comments in his Nov. 7, 2004, sermon:

"What matters to God is not merely that we use our gifts, but how we use them—the spirit, the attitude. What matters is not merely that we give and lead and show mercy. What matters to God is free and lavish generosity in our giving. What matters to God is passion and eagerness and zeal in our leadership. What matters to God is gladness and cheerfulness and joy in our mercy.

"And my point—and I think Paul’s point—is that these are the overflow of mercy-dependent, mercy-loving, self-forgetting, Christ-treasuring humility. ...

"The church and the world need people who have trembled in the courtroom of God as guilty sinners; who have heard the joyful sound of mercy from the bench of the Judge: “You may go free; my Son paid your debt”; who are therefore mercy-loving, mercy-dependent, Christ treasuring people; and who therefore overflow not just with contributions but self-forgetting, lavish contributions; and who don’t just lead, but lead with self-forgetting zeal and passion for the cause of Christ; and who don’t just do mercy, but love mercy and do it with self-forgetting joy.

"That is what we need because that is what will show how valuable Christ is. He gets the glory, we get the joy."

(HT: Josh Etter)