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 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’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.
And singing Thy praises, before Thee I’ll bow,
“If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.”
William R. Featherston, 1862
Read 1 Peter 1:1-9
(One of the more famous romantic poems is Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee?” This hymn reminds me of the poem. While we have Scripture and the sacrifice of Christ and the gift of the Spirit as testimonies of God’s love for us, we cannot proclaim our love for Him to much or too often. In fact, take some time today to record how and why you love Jesus.)