Thursday Hymn Reflection: "My Jesus, I Love Thee"

[NOTE: This post continues our Thursday Hymn Reflections. If you would like to suggest a song for this series, please leave a comment. We still have over 30 songs lined up for this series at this time, but we will try to do them all!]

My first reflection on this hymn has always been its simplicity. There are very few songs we sing that are easier to “pick up” and sing. The melody is easy to follow and the harmonies are very straightforward.

That is so fitting for this song! In a song that simply praises the Son of God in simple language, it is only fitting that the music also be simple to sing.

The song requires no dictionary to figure out, but the wording is fantastic. Consider the opening lines:

My Jesus, I love Thee,

I know Thou art mine.

For Thee all the follies

of sin I resign.

What a statement! When we sing those words, we are stating that we will shun sin in order to follow Christ. While we may know that on an intellectual level, we still need to be reminded of it often.

The second verse rehearses what Jesus did for us. He loved us first, and proved it by purchasing our pardon “on Calvary’s tree.” The song also references the crown of thorns as a reason to love Christ. I think about that when I sing this song. We often thank Christ for the crucifixion, but do we ever stop and thank Him for each part of the experience? He endured each part of suffering for you and me.

Finally, the song speaks of the result. It is not just “I’m going to heaven,” though. The song states that we will be privileged to sing and praise Jesus for all eternity for what He did. That should be at the top of our reasons why we want to go to heaven. For what Christ went through, we should desire to thank Him eternally!

Each verse ends with the words, “If ever I loved Thee–my Jesus, ’tis now.” When is the song talking about? If you piece together each verse, it is speaking of any time we think of Him, and the song, in my mind, is also trying to get us to focus on Him at all times. In other words, we are stating that we love Christ at all times.

Do I?

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The song has been sung to a couple of different tunes. The first video is the one most people know and love, and it is followed by an alternate tune that is beautiful and simple as well. Enjoy!