Let me love and not be requited.
Let me serve and not be rewarded.
Let me labor and not be remembered.
Let me suffer and not be regarded.
Let me serve and not be rewarded.
Let me labor and not be remembered.
Let me suffer and not be regarded.
Let me pour wine, while I drink not.
Let me break bread, while I keep not,
Pour my life out that others be blessèd,
Be in suff’ring that they be contented.
Let me break bread, while I keep not,
Pour my life out that others be blessèd,
Be in suff’ring that they be contented.
None to pity me or care for me,
None to praise me or to console me.
I would rather be desolate, wretched,
Lonely, friendless, and wrongly treated.
None to praise me or to console me.
I would rather be desolate, wretched,
Lonely, friendless, and wrongly treated.
With my blood and tears pay the price to gain the crown,
Suffer loss that I might a pilgrim’s life live out,
For, Lord, this is how You lived Your life
when You walked on this earthly sphere,
Gladly bore all loss that those who drew near
Could be freed from all suffering and fear.
Suffer loss that I might a pilgrim’s life live out,
For, Lord, this is how You lived Your life
when You walked on this earthly sphere,
Gladly bore all loss that those who drew near
Could be freed from all suffering and fear.
I know not how far the future lies ahead.
On this path of no retreating I am led.
So, Lord, let me now learn from Your perfect pattern,
Suff’ring wrong, no resentment in return.
On this path of no retreating I am led.
So, Lord, let me now learn from Your perfect pattern,
Suff’ring wrong, no resentment in return.
May You in this difficult, tedious day,
All my tears shed in secret wipe away;
Learning You are my only solacement,
And let my life for others’ joy be spent.
All my tears shed in secret wipe away;
Learning You are my only solacement,
And let my life for others’ joy be spent.
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Why are we so frightened of walking in Jesus' footsteps?? Watchman Nee did it to show us how it's done. Western civilization has made us too complacent. This hymn should be our prayer to be more like Jesus.
South Korea
This hymn precisely portrays the meaning of living a sacrificing life in the Body although it is just short.
'Pour my life out that others be blessed/ be in suffering that they be contented/ And let my life for others' joy be spent.'
Watchman Nee is definitely a good pattern of living a sacrificing life in the Body as a slave of the Lord to minister life to the Body.
South Korea
I would like to address thanks to brother Steve Miller for his posting and sharing on this page another well-known version of this hymn; I have the vocal version of that very lyric brother Steve Miller posted, and it was sung by some of our dear brothers who are, no doubt, not the professional singers, yet could be recognized as the believers to know of how to offer praise before the Lord from own spiritual experiences accompanied by some mysterious transactions between own being and the Lord Himself in each one's life. I am sorry about not being able to share with others that very vocal version on this web page, which I’ve appreciated so far as a sort of glance into 'the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth' (1Cor. 5:8).
And with the relation to the comment of sister Nancy Northrup from USA in fellowship, I’d like to share my view that in Biblical sense and based on the implication of the lyric, the English lyric translated into “Let me break bread, while I keep not” is more correct and appropriate than the rendering of “Let me break bread, while I eat not”, because this phrase “Let me pour wine, while I drink not, Let me break bread, while I keep not” conveys the implication of drink offering and one meal offering respectively in view, I think.
In order for our being to be poured out as a drink offering (2Tim.4:6), we will need to have some practical spiritual experiences and lessons from the Lord who had been presented as ‘grape which beyond self-centered selfish concern had been dealt with for the process of its being oppressed in order to be transformed into ‘wine to make God and people cheer and happy’ (Judges 9:13). Likewise, in order for us to be participated in one and only meal offering on the Lord’s table, we ourselves will need to have some experiential reality of the Lord who had been presented as one offering(Heb.10:14) as one Body (Heb.10:5), which requires our being to be terminated in its natural disposition and inclination and so on, and then to be blended with other members that are many grains produced from one grain (John12:24); in that very process of our being dealt with for blending, what is needed is our cooperation with His work on each one of us in the matter of each one’s being broken, not keeping and reserving own self so that each one of us may be blended with other members to be one and only meal offering to God as one Body of Christ. In other words, before we can eat bread which we break in the fellowship of the Body(1Cor.10:16), we first should be able to identified as that very one Body, symbolized by the bread (1Cor.11:24), and for our being able to be identified as and participate in that very one Body, one meal offering, we as the grains (John 12:24) should be broken and grounded into fine flour and then should be blended together to form one loaf (1Cor.10;17) and to be broken again for others being fed, which cannot be accomplished as far as we try to keep ourselves preserved as a seemingly nice grain in our own attempt not to be broken and not to be grounded into a fine flour which is aimed to be a one and only meal offering to God. The underlining thought in the phrase of “Let me pour wine, while I drink not, Let me break bread, while I keep not” lies on the prerequisite of our following the pattern of the Lord, who loved us “to the uttermost”(John 13:1) so that we may love one another not in word nor in tongue but in deed and truthfulness, laying down our lives on behalf of the brothers (1 John 4:10-11, 3:16-19) as one Body (1Cor.17).
And what we are always being touched from this lyric is the genuine inner condition and sentiment of God’s overcomer who had been pressing on the ordained way for him as a faithful pilgrim’s life, in the process of keeping the word of his testimony, not loving own soul-life even unto death(Rev.12:11). May the Lord lead us “having so great a cloud of witnesses”(Heb.12:1) including this lyric writer as our pattern, into the way for us to “stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel”(Phil.1:27) in our “offering up a sacrifice of praise continually to God”(Heb.13:15) from the deepest part of our being.
Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
It is everything that was arranged by the Lord and we should open our heart to just follow it.
DC Metro, Maryland, United States
I really appreciate the fellowship of the saints in the comments section. If not for these, I wouldn't have noticed the word "keep" so particularly. It's in both translations. It does sound strange at first. Why would brother Nee choose to say "keep" when he could just as well have said "eat?" In Matt. 26:26-29, the Lord broke bread and poured wine for the disciples, telling them that His blood was shed and His body was broken for them. The Lord Jesus as our perfect Pattern lived such a life, not caring for the drinking of earthly enjoyment. He willingly took the cup of suffering, that we might have the cup of blessing; He didn't care to "keep" (preserve) Himself, but to be fully broken, that we all might partake of and enjoy Him as the living bread which came down out of heaven. To take this Pattern - caring only to be utterly poured out and broken to supply others - was brother Nee's prayer. May it also be ours.
United States
"Let me pour wine, while I drink not.
Let me break bread, while I keep not"
The first line contrasts pouring wine with not drinking. It seems to me that it would make more sense for the second line to contrast breaking bread with not eating, rather than not keeping. "Keep not" doesn't make sense there in English. Maybe it got "spell-checked."
So: Let me pour wine, while I drink not. Let me break bread, while I eat not.
Doha, Qatar
We sang in both new and old lyrics at the same time and the Spirit led us and blended us more. Amen.
Dipolog City, Zamboanga Del Norte, Philippines
Saints, it doesn't matter whether this hymn written by Watchman nee is in the exact lyrics or in revised should be in this hymnal.net. It's the matter of life! We're in the principle of right or wrong not in life. As long as my spirit touches life in this hymn and there's nothing wrong about the lyrics itself.
China
I have read this hymn when I was young, but not be touched so much until now.
"Learning You are my only solacement,
And let my life for others’ joy be spent."
We often expect to find solacement from many things or persons those are not The Lord Himself. May The Lord enlighten us that we can look unto Him alone and hope in Him alone. And we do not live to please ourselves but to please The Lord. Amen!
Detroit, MI, United States
An earlier translation of this hymn. As others have posted, and I agree, this is more excellently written:
Let me love and not be respected;
Let me serve and not be rewarded;
Let me labor and not be remembered;
Let me suffer and not be regarded.
'Tis the pouring, not the drinking;
'Tis the breaking, not the keeping -
A life suff'ring to seek others' blessing,
A life loving and true comfort giving.
Not expecting pity and concern,
Not accepting solace and applause;
Even lonely, even forgotten,
Even wordless, even forsaken.
Tears and blood my price for the righteous crown shall be;
Losing all, my cost for a faithful pilgrim's life,
'Twas the life, O Lord, that You chose to live
In those days when on earth You walked,
Gladly suff'ring all injuries and loss
So that all might draw near and repose.
I cannot see how much farther I shall go;
Still I press on, knowing there is no return.
Let me follow Your pattern so perfect and true,
Bearing ingratitudes without complaint.
In this time of trial, O my Lord, I pray
that You'd wipe all my hidden tears away;
Let me learn, O Lord, You are my reward,
Let me be others' blessing all my days.