My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts;
So I shall meditate on Your wonderful works.
My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.
I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgements I have laid before me.
I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!
I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart.

This whole Christian life is a cooperative effort, only He gets to do most of the work:
I feel like dirt; He revives me.
I declare my intentions; He answers.
I meditate; He makes me understand and teaches me.
I choose the way of truth; He removes the way of lying.
I cling to His testimonies; He keeps me from being put to shame.
I run the course, keep the commandments; He enlarges my heart in order that I may finish the race.

“I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
II Timothy 4:7-8

Again, I am reminded of how dependent I am on the grace of God. I couldn’t fight or finish or keep the faith apart from Him. And it is fitting the old hymnns picture us “casting our crowns before Him” since any crown that I receive belongs to Him in the first place. (By the way I couldn’t find in Scripture anywhere this idea of our giving back to Jesus whatever reward or gift He has enabled us to earn, but it seems right. After all we offer Him the firstfruits of our labor and the products of our God-given creativity as worship.)
In Him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)