From my hymnal Lift Up Your hearts, (affiliate link) comes my hymn of the week My Jesus, I love thee. I’ve known this hymn for a long time. I was surprised to learn that it didn’t start out as a popular hymn. Keep reading and you’ll learn what caused the change.

Lyrics to My Jesus, I love Thee
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.
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.
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.
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.
Author and History
William R. Featherston was only 16 years old when he penned this hymn. Sometimes his name is spelled Featherstone. Born in Montreal, Quebec he travelled to Toronto when he was 16 where he became a believer. It is believed this Canadian wrote this hymn shortly thereafter.
He sent the poem to his aunt who had it published as a hymn. It wasn’t highly popular until evangelist Adoniram. J Gordon discovered the hymn. He changed the tune of it, and ever since then, it’s been a favourite for many believers.
Mr. Featherston lived 1846-1875, he died shortly before his 27th birthday. He was married and had a son John. We do not know much more about him. This is the only hymn he wrote.
Hymntime has an interesting story concerning this hymn.
Scriptural Reference
I John 4:7-21
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
……. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us……. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Thinking Deeper
What a call in this song isn’t there? The call to have a love that is devoted to Christ. A love so rich that nothing will stop it.
I love the assurance that Featherston has eh? The knowledge he has that he loves God because God first loved him. This is such a grounding needed in our faith. It feeds our ability to love God throughout our entire life and to praise him in all things.
Do you know this Jesus? Do you love him whole-heartedly and forever like Featherston did? Ask questions if you want to know more.
