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 Saviour 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 love thee as long as thou givest 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 mansions so bright.
I'll sign with the glittering crown on my brow
If ever I loved thee, My Jesus, 'tis now.

Will­iam R. Fea­ther­ston, 1864; Fea­thers­ton was on­ly 16 years old at the time.

I read this the other day and the words keep going through my head. "Thee" is not a word I use but the sentence describes my constant struggle. I love Jesus but it seems to be stronger some days and then there are the days that I forget about Him and struggle and then am reminded that "If ever I loved thee, My Jesus, 'tis now." I'm so thankful that He is My Jesus and that he first loved me. Are you familiar with this tune? Can you imagine putting into words at the age of 16 your love for Jesus? I desire to do this at my age, much past 16 and yet God is happy with any words I say to Him.