Good Wednesday to you!  I pray that the coming of summer just around the corner has you amazed by the common grace of God.  I know it has done so for me!

Today I want to share one of the tenderest songs sung from the heart of a worshiper to Jesus. It’s an old one, but my goodness, it captures the heart with which we should worship!  I’m talking about “My Jesus, I Love Thee.”

William Featherston, who penned these lyrics in 1864, was only 16-years-old when these words flowed from his heart in response to the Lord saving him.  What a perfect declaration in response to the stunning grace of Jesus!  Adoniram Gordon wrote the melody in 1876.

The first verse captures beautifully the heart of repentance, willing to give up everything for Jesus.  The second verse recognizes that the worshiper’s love for Jesus is simply a response to unfathomable love Jesus showed us by purchasing our salvation with His blood on the cross.  Verse 3 is the right declaration that the worshiper will love Jesus until the day he or she dies, but then verse 4 reminds us that our early life is just the beginning of our worship because we’ll have the blessing of doing so forevermore in Heaven.

The aspect of this song that brings a tight cohesion to it is the line that ends every verse:  If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.  What a perfectly succinct way of capturing the ongoing and growing love for Jesus over the course of life that every worshiper should experience!

Below is a beautiful, classic rendition of the song sung by Selah.  May you worship your Savior Jesus Christ today, and with a full heart declare, “If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now!”

VERSE 1
My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

VERSE 2
I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

VERSE 3
I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

VERSE 4
In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

____________________

If you’re interested in modern versions of the song that keep the original melody but add a chorus, you should check out Building 429’s version and Darlene Zschech’s version.

Building 429’s chorus says:
Worthy, worthy
Worthy is the Lamb The Lamb that was slain
Holy, holy Jesus,
I will sing Sing of Your holy name

Darlene Zschech’s chorus says:
I love You Jesus
I’ll always love You
Now and forever
I belong to You

Lift Jesus higher (repeated)