This hymn was written by Fanny Crosby, born 1820, who is one of the most renowned hymn writers, often writing under different pseudonyms. Many of Fanny Crosby’s gospels songs were inspired by things that happened to her, or conversations she had, during her long life. Biographer Bernard Ruffin quotes from Miss Crosby’s book Memories of Eighty Years, concerning one such: “Fanny was talking to one of her neighbours, who complained bitterly of his poverty. “If I had wealth I would be able to do just what I wish to do; and I would be able to make an appearance [i.e. an impression] in the world.” Fanny replied, “Well, take the world, but give me Jesus.” She later turned that comment into the below song. As you likely know, Fanny Crosby was blind. However, she not only refused to count this as a disability, but was able to testify that it gave her certain advantages. She saw things with the eyes of faith, and with a poet’s insight, that others of us so often miss. It’s not surprising that many of her gospel songs refer either to this spiritual sight, or to the joy that would be hers when the first face she sees in Glory will be that of her Saviour¹.

Take the world, but give me Jesus,
All its joys are but a name;
But his love abides forever,
Through eternal years the same.

Refrain
Oh, the height and depth of mercy!
Oh, the length and breadth of love!
Oh, the fullness of redemption,
Pledge of endless life above!

Take the world, but give me Jesus,
Sweetest comfort of my soul;
With the Saviour watching o’er me,
I can sing, though thunders roll.

Refrain

Take the world, but give me Jesus;
In his cross my trust shall be
‘Till with clearer, brighter vision
Face to face my Lord I see.

Refrain

¹wordwisehymns.com/2011/12/16/take-the-world-but-give-me-jesus-2/

Henry Francis Lyte was born in Scotland, 1793. His father abandoned his mother and him and later, he was orphaned at 9 years old with no support. He was invited by Rev. Robert Burrows into his home, accepted as part of his family, and had his education paid for. Henry studied at Divinity School, was ordained at 21 and began preaching at St. Munn’s Church in Taghmon, Ireland. This hymn was written in 1824, when he ministered to Rev. Abraham Swanne who was dying. They both studied the Scriptures together and realised they were both blind guides. After coming to a saving knowledge of Christ, Henry was inspired to write this hymn¹.

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Saviour, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me,
‘Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure,
Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure,
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father,
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.

Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

¹hymnpod.com/2009/05/20/jesus-i-my-cross-have-taken/

This song was written by Erdmann Neumeister, pastor of a Lutheran Church in Hamburg, Germany, in 1718. He wrote about 650 hymns, but wrote this hymn to be sung at the end of a sermon on Luke 15:2. That verse tells about the Pharisees and scribes grumbling, “This man (meaning Jesus) receives sinners and eats with them.” About 150 years later, Emma Bevan, a British woman who was the wife of a prominent banker and was fluent in German, translated this old hymn into English. Though this hymn has gone through a few changes since it was first written about 300 years ago, the message has remained the same¹. Jesus still receives sinful men; what a glorious hymn to meditate on this Lord’s Day!

Sinners Jesus will receive;
Sound this word of grace to all
All who languish dead in sin,
All who linger, all who fall.

Refrain
Sing it o’er and over again;
Christ receiveth sinful men;
Make the message clear and plain:
Christ receiveth sinful men.

Come, and He will give you rest;
Trust Him, for His Word is plain;
He will take the sinfulest;
Christ receiveth sinful men.

Refrain

Now my heart condemns me not,
Pure before the law I stand;
He who cleansed me from all spot,
Satisfied its last demand.

Refrain

Christ receiveth sinful men,
Even me with all my sin;
Purged from every spot and stain,
Heaven with Him I enter in.

Refrain

¹thescottspot.wordpress.com/2016/01/13/christ-receiveth-sinful-men-written-in-1718/

This modern hymn was written by Julie Anne Vargas and Zac Hicks in 2015, and beautifully tells of all our Saviour Jesus Christ did for us, and what that means for us. What a gracious gift of this great salvation we have! Enjoy this acoustic version 🙂

My Saviour left His throne above
Exchanged His wealth for poverty
He took my hate and gave His love
All this and more He did for me

Because He chose the lowly way
And bowed before His Father’s will
I can with all assurance say
My God is near and loves me still
My God is near and loves me still

He felt the storms of human pain
He felt temptation’s whelming seas
He felt the tears of sorrow’s rain
All this and more He felt for me

Because He knows my every strife
And is acquainted with my grief
I can’t be shaken in this life
The Friend of Sinners walks with me
The Friend of Sinners walks with me

He kept His Father’s every word
The Law He followed perfectly
So all God’s pleasure He secured
All this and more He earned for me

Because His righteous life is mine
And all His merits now I own
I am a child of God on high
I am adopted, loved, and known
I am adopted, loved, and known

When Jesus left His heavenly home
His face was set on Calvary
The steepest hill He climbed alone
All this and more He did for me

Because He died once for all time
And bore the curse of death and hell
Final forgiveness here is mine
So it is finished, all is well
Yes, it is finished, all is well

Enjoy and meditate on this song by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa on this Lord’s Day as you worship together with your church.

All hail the king of heaven, Christ the Lord of all
Whom thund’ring angels circle ‘round, ablaze with all
Let now the Hallelujah of Earth in glad refrain
Ascend the throne, to him belongs immortal praise

Refrain
All hail the king of heaven
Creation join together
Let endless praises crown his name
All hail the king of heaven

All hail the great redeemer, who so humbly came
The Lamb of our salvation, O for sinners slain
Now let the loud hosanna resound from shore to shore
You nations say, “His kingdom reigns forever more!”

Refrain

Let praise of nNations rise now as a symphony
to sound the endless wonders of his Majesty
Let every heart adore him, the great and small the same
Through generations ever let his anthem ring

Refrain

This song from Emu was written by Liv Chapman for their “Creation Awaits” album, and it was filmed in the beautiful church 12th Century church St Aldates in Oxford, UK. This song has a really simple tune that congregations will catch quickly, and I love the crescendo at the end of each verse of hallelujah. It reminds me that at the end of the ages, when all is said and done and Christ returns, those who have waited for him, from every tribe and tongue will sing together “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns!” Enjoy!

Come and hear the wondrous love
The mighty God who reigns above
Has entered in to dwell with us
Hallelujah

On the earth, our saviour lived
The Son of Man, the servant king
And by his death, he bore our sin
Hallelujah

Refrain
The fight is over, the battle done
The victory of life is won
The song of triumph has begun
Hallelujah

The powers of hell had seemed to win
But Christ has conquered death and sin
Let’s raise our voices for our King!
Hallelujah

Refrain

For very soon, he will return
And place all things beneath his throne
And take us to our heav’nly home
Hallelujah

Refrain

So now by faith we persevere
And in His strength, we will not fear
For as we meet, our God is here
Hallelujah

Isaac Watts grew up singing only metrical Psalms. He would continually complain to his father about how boring and meaningless they were to him. His father tired of his complaints, challenged him to write something better. The following week, the adolescent Isaac presented his first hymn to the church. Watts did not reject metrical Psalms; he simply wanted to see them more impassioned. “They ought to be translated in such a manner as we have reason to believe David would composed them if he had lived in our day” he wrote. This is one of the most popular hymns and was given in his Psalms of David, 1719, as Pt 2. of his version of Psalm 72_¹.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
does its successive journeys run,
his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To him shall endless prayer be made,
and praises throng to crown his head.
His name like sweet perfume shall rise
with every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue
dwell on his love with sweetest song,
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on his name.

Blessings abound where’er he reigns:
the prisoners leap to lose their chains,
the weary find eternal rest,
and all who suffer want are blest.

Let every creature rise and bring
the highest honors to our King,
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud amen.

¹page 114 – Leeman, D. and Leeman, B., 2022. Our Hymns, Our Heritage: A Student Guide to Songs of the Church

There are several accounts as to the origin of the beautiful hymn “Fairest Lord Jesus.” The best known legend is that it was sung by the twelfth century German Crusaders, as they made their long, weary way to the Holy Land. Another, more credible account is that it was sung by the followers of John Hus, who were driven out of Bohemia in 1620 in the anti-Reformation purge, who settled in Silesia, now part of Poland. They had to keep their faith secret, yet had a strong tradition of hymn singing. I like the below version sung by Emu Music with updated words; enjoy!

Fairest Lord Jesus,
Ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish,
Thee will I honour,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.

Fair are the meadows,
Fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring:
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host:
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

Beautiful Saviour!
Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honour,
Praise, adoration,
Now and forevermore be thine.

¹songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/fairest-lord-jesus

Little is known about Dorothy Thrupp except she wrote many hymns for children. She often. used the pseudonym “Iota” or the initials D.A.T. This hymn was included in a book she edited for children called “Hymns for the Young”. It is based on Psalm 23 and John 10, where Jesus called Himself “the Good Shepherd”. Ira Sankey, a famous 19th Century gospel singer who would travel with D.L. Moody, once sang this hymn at a Christmas Eve gathering. Afterwards a man approached him who was a Confederate soldier. He told the story of how he raised his gun to shoot a Union solder, when the man began to sing this hymn. Deciding to wait until he has finished singing the hymn, he then remembered his own mother used to sing this hymn to him; at the end he could not pull the trigger and kill him. The twist in the story was that the soldier who had sang the hymn was Sankey himself!¹ Enjoy this one 🙂

Saviour, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Hear, O hear us when we pray.

Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse, and pow’r to free:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee.

Early let us seek Thy favour,
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Saviour,
With Thy love our bosoms fill:
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still;
Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still.

¹page 98 – Leeman, D. and Leeman, B., 2022. Our Hymns, Our Heritage: A Student Guide to Songs of the Church

Written by Charles Wesley, “Jesus, Thine All Victorious Love” comes from the Wesleys’ great compendium, A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists (A Collection of Hymns).² John Wesley, in the 1779 preface to that collection, calls it a “little body of experimental and practical divinity. This hymn stands out in that collection as an exemplary text for the Easter season. This is the fourth and last in a series of articles in the month of April exploring hymns especially appropriate for Eastertide. As with many Wesley hymns that we sing today, the four stanzas given in the are but part of a much longer hymn called “My God! I know, I feel thee mine.” The complete hymn is found in Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists in the section, “For Believers, Groaning for Full Redemption.” Atop the hymn text in the early editions sits a scripture reference to Romans 4:13, which speaks of the promise God made to Abraham and the righteousness of his faith¹. Enjoy!

Jesus, thine all-victorious love
shed in my heart abroad;
then shall my feet no longer rove,
rooted and fixed in God.

O that in me the sacred fire
might now begin to glow;
burn up the dross of base desire
and make the mountains flow!

O that it now from heaven might fall
and all my sins consume!
Come, Holy Ghost, for thee I call,
Spirit of burning, come!

Refining fire, go through my heart,
illuminate my soul;
scatter thy life through every part
and sanctify the whole.

¹umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-jesus-thine-all-victorious-love-wesley