Earlier today on Bellshill Salvation Army Band’s Facebook page I shared the devotions I shared at our band practice last Wednesday evening. I’d like to share those devotions with you tonight.
My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine,
For thee all the pleasures of sin I resign;
My gracious Redeemer, my Saviour art thou,
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus,'tis now.
I love thee because thou hast 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.
I will 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.
In mansions of Glory and endless delight,
I'll ever adore thee and dwell in thy sight;
I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow:
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, tis now.
The words of ‘My Jesus, I Love Thee’ are simple but let us of a lifetime of faith – Faith that grows quietly, steadily, in the everyday moments of life, even when no-one is watching.
The words are honest, but simple, and express our love for Jesus – love born out of gratitude, redemption, and a deep awareness of grace that is the heartbeat of a believer’s life.
- Love for Jesus grows from remembering what He has done.
- Gratitude naturally becomes devotion.
- Following Him isn’t a duty, it’s a response to grace.
- Loving Him “in life” and “in death” is the steady anchor of faith.
One line that particularly catches the attention in this song is “If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.” It’s not about emotion. It’s about recognition – seeing Jesus clearly and responding with love.
We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:19 (NIV)
Our love for Jesus isn’t something we manufacture or make up, because it’s a response – a grateful, wholehearted response – to the love that reached us first.
The words of ‘My Jesus I Love Thee’ are for the mountaintop days, or days of when everything seems dark around you – In other words they are for every day — the days when you’re simply trying to walk faithfully, quietly, honestly, and days when you need to remember that Jesus is with you and is worthy of your love. Other times you may just use the words as a prayer for yourself.
A prayer of devotion.
A prayer of gratitude.
A prayer of surrender.
If your heart needs a gentle reminder of the love that holds you, let the words and music in this video speak to you today.
The Distinct Dot 