LSB #781 "We Give Thee But Thine Own"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  1 John 3:16-18, Matthew 25:40, Exodus 23:19a, James 1:27

1 John 3:16-18:  "16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.  17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

Matthew 25:40:  "'And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."'"

Exodus 23:19a:  "'The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God.'"

James 1:27:  "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."

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The text is public domain:

1 We give Thee but Thine own,

Whate'er the gift may be;

All that we have is Thine alone,

A trust, O Lord, from Thee.

2 May we Thy bounties thus

As stewards true receive

And gladly, as Thou blessest us,

To Thee our firstfruits give!

3 Oh, hearts are bruised and dead,

And homes are bare and cold,

And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled

Are straying from the fold.

4 To comfort and to bless,

To find a balm for woe,

To tend the lone and fatherless

Is angels' work below.

5 The captive to release,

To God the lost to bring,

To teach the way of life and peace,

It is a Christ-like thing.

6 And we believe Thy Word,

Though dim our faith may be:

Whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord,

We do it unto Thee.

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1 John 3:16-18 and Matthew 25:40 are the basis for the lines "Whate'er for Thine we do, O Lord, / We do it unto Thee" at the end of the sixth verse, although Matthew 25:40 is more prominent.

Exodus 23:19a is referred to in the lines "And gladly, as Thou blessest us, / To Thee our firstfruits give!" at the end of the second verse, and James 1:27 appears in the lines "To tend the lone and fatherless / Is angels' work below" at the end of the fourth verse.

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The first verse may come in part from James 1:17:  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

The lines "And lambs for whom the Shepherd bled / Are straying from the fold" at the end of the third verse use the same imagery as Isaiah 53:6 and Psalm 119:176.

The fifth verse is drawn from Isaiah 61:1-2 ("1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and that day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn"), which is also cited in Luke 4:18-19.