August 27, 2005

Have faith in God –
Believe – confess;
Have faith in God –
No more – no less;
Have faith in God –
With thankfulness.
Have faith, dear friend, in God.

Lord, I Want to be a Christian

Negro Spiritual

    His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  2 Peter 1:4.

A CHRISTIAN IS...
A mind through which Christ thinks;
A heart through which Christ loves;
A voice through which Christ speaks;
A hand through which Christ helps.

"Sir, I want to be a Christian."

The text for this spiritual song is thought to have been an outgrowth of this remark made by a Negro slave to a minister, William Davis, sometime during the mid 18th Century.

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart!
In my heart! In my heart!
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart!

Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart!
In my heart! In my heart!
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart!

Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart!
In my heart! In my heart!
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart!

Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart!
In my heart! In my heart!
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart!

Have Faith in God by H.M.S. Richards, Used by Permission