George Herbert on Life to the Glory of God

This 17th century poem, prepared later as a hymn by Wesley, captures well the truth of living all of life under the gaze of God and for his glory.

“The Elixir”

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in anything
To do it as for Thee.

To scorn the senses’ sway,
While still to Thee I tend:
In all I do be Thou the Way,
In all be Thou the End.

All may of Thee partake;
Nothing so small can be
But draws, when acted for Thy sake,
Greatness and worth from Thee.

If done to obey Thy laws,
E’en servile labors shine;
Hallowed is toil, if this the cause,
The meanest work divine.

-George Herbert, from The Temple (1633), edited by John Wesley

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