One Thing’s Needful

One thing’s need­ful; Lord this trea­sure

Teach me high­ly to re­gard;

All else

though it first give plea­sure

Is a yoke that press­es hard.

Beneath it the heart is still fret­ting and striv­ing

No true

last­ing hap­pi­ness ev­er de­riv­ing.

The gain of this one thing all loss can re­quite

And teach me in all things to find true de­light.

Wilt thou find this one thing need­ful

Turn from all cre­at­ed things

Unto Je­sus and be heed­ful

Of the bless­èd joy He brings.

For where God and man both in one are unit­ed

With God’s per­fect full­ness the heart is de­light­ed;

There

there is the wor­thi­est lot and the best

My one and my all and my joy and my rest.

How were Ma­ry’s thoughts de­vot­ed

Her eter­nal joy to find

As in­tent each word she not­ed

At her Sav­ior’s feet re­clined!

How kin­dled her heart

how de­vout was its feel­ing

While hear­ing the les­sons that Christ was re­veal­ing!

For Je­sus all earth­ly con­cerns she for­got

And all was re­paid in that one hap­py lot.

Thus my long­ings

heav’n­ward tend­ing

Jesus

rest alone on Thee.

Help me

thus on Thee de­pend­ing;

Savior

come and dwell in me.

Although all the world

Should for­sake and for­get Thee

In love I will fol­low Thee

ne’er will I quit Thee.

Lord Je­sus

both spir­it and life is Thy Word;

And is there a joy which Thou dost not af­ford?

Wisdom’s high­est

nob­lest trea­sure

Jesus

lies con­cealed in Thee;

Grant that this may still the mea­sure

Of my will and act­ions be

Humility there and sim­pli­ci­ty reign­ing

In paths of true wis­dom my steps ev­er train­ing.

Oh

if I of Christ have this know­ledge di­vine

The full­ness of heav­en­ly wis­dom is mine.

Naught have I

O Christ

to of­fer

Naught but Thee

my high­est Good.

Naught have I

O Lord

to prof­fer

But Thy crim­son-col­ored blood.

Thy death on the cross hath death whol­ly de­feat­ed

And there­by my right­eous­ness ful­ly com­plet­ed;

Salvation’s white rai­ments I there did ob­tain

And in them in glo­ry with Thee I shall reign.

Therefore Thou alone

my Sav­ior

Shalt be all in all to me;

Search my heart and my be­hav­ior

Root out all hy­po­cri­sy.

Restrain me from wan­der­ing on path­ways un­ho­ly

And through all life’s pil­grim­age

Keep my heart low­ly.

This one thing is need­ful

all oth­ers are vain;

I count all but loss that I Christ may ob­tain.