How many cups of cold water shall I give in Jesus’ name
To thank Him for each drop of blood He paid for me?
God didn’t count what it would cost to give His life;
Let me not count what it will cost to give Him thanks.
How many loaves of fresh bread shall I give in Jesus’ name
To thank Him for each teardrop He has shed for me?
God didn’t count what it would cost to give His love;
Let me not count what it will cost to give Him thanks.
It doesn’t matter whether I am successful
In the ways this world views success;
But if anyone has been touched by God’s presence in my life,
Then it matters what I do in His name.
How many pieces of clothing shall I give in Jesus’ name
To thank Him for each raging storm He’s calmed in me?
God didn’t count what it would cost to give His peace;
Let me not count what it will cost to give Him thanks.
How many words of kindness shall I speak in Jesus’ name
To thank Him for each perfect gift He’s given me?
God didn’t count what it would cost to give His Best;
Let me not count what it will cost to give Him thanks.
It doesn’t matter whether I am successful
In the ways this world views success;
But if anyone has been touched by God’s presence in my life,
Then it matters what I do in His name.
How many cups of cold water shall I give in Jesus’ name?
About This Song:
Steve Henson is a friend who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. (I haven’t heard from him in a while, so I hope he still does.) He told me what a tremendous Christian his father had been, and I ended up dedicating this song to him.
The inspiration comes from Mark 9:41. . .
Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. (NIV)
and also from Matthew 25:35-45. . .
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (NIV)
Did you know the Bible cautions us not to be weary in doing good things? See Galatians 6:9. . .
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (KJV)
However, if I read that correctly, it doesn’t say we should stop doing good things just because we’re tired. (Do we stop carrying out good parenting practices just because our kids have worn us out? Tempting, but no.) We should persevere in spite of fatigue.
Whoops! There goes my excuse for sitting back and taking it easy. I was born tired.
You know what else that verse means–at least to me? There’s no such thing as giving enough cups of cold water or feeding enough hungry people or visiting enough people in prison or doing any of the other things the Bible tells us to do. We should just keep doing them.
God didn’t count the cost when He sacrificed Jesus for our sins. Even though we can never do enough good things to pay Him back for that, neither can we ever thank Him sufficiently.
Do you ever get weary doing good things? What keeps you going? How about leaving a comment?
Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.
Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.
Best regards,
Roger
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As I Come Singing. . . 