Give up the world, Christ to obtain

1
Give up the world, Christ to obtain,
  He is your heart’s very need;
What else can you desire or seek?
  All things are empty indeed!
  He is so rich, He is so full,
  He can fulfill all your needs!
He is so good, He is so sweet,
    All your desire He exceeds!
2
Give up the world, Christ to obtain,
  He is the One you require;
Once you receive this glorious Christ,
  Never the rest you’ll desire.
3
Though very great is all the world,
  And very small is your heart,
Yet the great world with all its wealth
  Never can fill your small heart.
4
If you have Christ, you have all joys;
  Without this Christ, only pains;
Where there is Christ there morning is;
  Where He is not, night remains.

Copyright Living Stream Ministry. Used by permission.

19
Matt

San Francisco, California, United States

Though very great is all the world,

And very small is your heart,

Yet the great world with all its wealth

Never can fill your small heart.

If you have Christ, you have all joys;

Without this Christ, only pains;

Where there is Christ there morning is;

Where He is not, night remains.


Livingston Pan

Canada

Such a great song!!


Ukwuoma Ifeanyi Uzoma

Delft, Netherlands

COUNTING ALL THINGS LOSS ON ACCOUNT OF CHRIST (Phillipians 3:7-9)

But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ.

But Moreover, I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ

And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith


Lucia Lu

Atlanta, GA, United States

This hymn reminds me of Philippians 3: 7 & 8,

"What things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ..." Amen!


Elisha Tadiwa Nyamasvisva

Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia

He is so rich, He is so full. What else can I ask for. Oh Lord Jesus I am willing to give up the world, Christ to obtain for He is my heart's very need. What else can I desire or seek? For If I have Christ I have all joys. Without Christ only pain, Where there is Christ there's is morning otherwise just darkness. Oh sweet, sweet Jesus. What else do I need besides You?


Steve Miller

Detroit, MI, United States

I especially like the line about the great world not being able to fill my small heart. So true. Christ is the only One who can satisfy our hearts.


RL

I heard this song when I just finished high school. At that time this hymn was not very pleasing to me. But slowly years then through the Lord's bringing me into the experiences in this hymn now I simply enjoy every line of it. This day morning I just went to work and felt so low in my spirit. Then suddenly sprang this song from within me. I just sang the chorus 'He is so rich, He is so full'. Immediately I was watered. It is so encouraging because HE IS SO RICH, SO FULL, SO GOOD and SO SWEET.

I love the last stanza. When we have Christ we have all joys.without him even wordly pleasures are painful.Where He is not there is no morning. Especially during the start of a day whichever day I don't meet Him in the morning that day is just a night. Oh!... How much we need Him.

If you have Christ, you have all joys;

Without this Christ, only pains;

Where there is Christ there morning is;

Where He is not, night remains.


Clayton Wright

I just read a verse that a brother posted on his web forum, Luke 18:20. The Lord spoke of things that are impossible to men, but are possible with God. That reminds me that I can't overcome anything in my self. I have to allow the Lord to overcome in me, to conquer the self, saturate me, and fill me. I should be encouraged and not saddened when i hear that I can't do it. Halleujah! I CAN be encouraged, because the Lord gives up the world in me...my heart is deceitful and selfish by default, but Christ is transforming me. My heart can only be filled by Him.

Thank and praise the Lord.


Paul

I so appreciate the Christ in me!

In 1947, while I was taking a walk in a park in Shanghai, I composed a hymn entitled "Give Up the World, Christ to Obtain" (Hymns, #1025). I appreciate stanza 3 the most, which says, (Though very great is all the world, / And very small is your heart, / Yet the great world with all its wealth / Never can fill your small heart." This hymn touches people's feelings very much. People are touched and stirred up as soon as they sing it; it is like they were injected with a stimulant.

I wrote this hymn in 1947. During that year I conducted a conference in Shanghai, and after that conference I spent a day resting in a scenic area. As I was strolling there, I was humming some random melodies to myself. While I was thus musing, verse three of the hymn came to me:

Though very great is all the world,

And very small is your heart,

Yet the great world with all its wealth,

Never can fill your small heart.

Now I would ask all the brothers and sisters over sixty years old to stand up and sing this verse. Your singing is too proper. There is no need to be so proper. You have to sing like I do. I break all the rules of singing, yet I stir up others' spirits. All of you older sisters should go to sing in your home meetings. You have to fire up everyone there. Do not think that only the young people can catch fire. If all the older ones sit still in the meeting, how can we have a good home meeting? But if the older ones would sing, their singing would surely cause the meeting to come alive. On this point I would ask you older ones to learn of me. Do not sing too properly. When you break the rules, sometimes you sing even better. Today I may be the oldest one among all of you. I do not sing well, but I sing with life. Please do not act like an old man or woman. You must be bold to sing.

...Hymns are the easiest way to stir up our spirit because they are the expressions of the poets' sentiments. Take, for example, "Give up the world, Christ to obtain" (Hymns, #1025). In the summer of 1948 I was in Shanghai, busy and tired from the work. One day some co-workers and I arranged to go to a park for a rest. It was then that this hymn was written. Whenever we sing this hymn in the meetings, our tiredness easily goes away and our spirits are refreshed. Sometimes you may be the first to come to the meeting. Even though you are only one person, you can start a hymn, playing and singing to yourself. As the brothers and sisters arrive one by one, they can join you in the singing. In this way, the meetings spontaneously will be enlivened.

Living Stream Ministry

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