Am I a Soldier of the Cross?

 

1

Am I a soldier of the cross,

A foll'wer of the Lamb?

And shall I fear to own His cause,

Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies

On flow'ry beds of ease,

While others fought to win the prize,

And sailed thro' bloody seas?

2

Are there no foes for me to face?

Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vile world a friend to grace,

To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign:

Increase my courage, Lord;

I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,

Supported by Thy word.

3

Thy saints, in all this glorious war,

Shall conquer, tho' they die;

They see the triumph from afar

By faith's discerning eye.

When that illustrious day shall rise,

And all Thine armies shine

In robes of vict'ry thro' the skies,

The glory shall be Thine.

Isaac Watts

Here is a video of these lyrics set to a different tune than the one above. This tune is used in some of our hymnals also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU5ct0iY-Ds&list=RDKU5ct0iY-Ds&start_radio=1

I couldn't find a video I liked with a straightforward performance of the hymn as it's written in our songbooks. Here's a more fun version by The Happy Goodmans (from way back in 1972)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEiKXHyNb1Q

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ~II Timothy 2:3