Hymns With A Message: JESUS IS MINE

Sunday, September 27, 2020

JESUS IS MINE

It is so easy for us to become attached to the "joys" of this life whether they be things or even relationships. But as life goes on these things that once brought "joy" to our life begin to fade and pass and we find that only our relationship with Jesus is all that is really meaningful and lasting.

And as we commit all of these earthly joys to him, our heart should cry out "Jesus Is Mine". Jane Catharine Lundie (1921-1884) wrote this hymn in 1843. She married famed Scottish preacher and hymn writer Horatius Bonar that same year. Though he was thirteen years her senior, they had a loving marriage, and fruitful ministry together for over four decades.

She wrote other hymns, but Mrs. Bonar is chiefly remembered for this one, originally entitled "Jesus, All in All", now known as "Jesus Is Mine" or "Fade, Fade Each Earthly Joy". The Bonars knew the reality of fading earthly joys. Of their nine children, five died young. Bonar himself was sorely afflicted during the last two years of his life. So they knew what it meant to yield all to the Lord and His will.

It is an outlook that Jane Bonar expresses so beautifully and passionately in her hymn, repeating twelve times the key phrase, "Jesus is mine." Though many things (even good things) crowd into our days, our desire should be "that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18). By comparison, the things of this world are merely "perishing things of clay, born but for one brief day"

This song speaks of an intimate fellowship with our Lord both here and in eternity. Stanza one suggests that Jesus should be more important to us than any earthly joy while stanza two indicates that Jesus should be more important to us than anything that would tempt us away from Him Stanza three suggests that Jesus should be more important to us than whatever is found in the darkness of night and stanza four says that Jesus should be more important to us than everything related to mortality.

Are the words of this old hymn your experience and your desire? And can you claim the words of the final verse, "Farewell, mortality, Jesus is mine! Welcome, eternity, Jesus is mine! Welcome, oh, loved and blest, Welcome, sweet scenes of rest, Welcome, my Savior's breast, Jesus is mine!"

1. Fade, fade, each earthly joy,

Jesus is mine!

Break every tender tie,

Jesus is mine!

Dark is the wilderness,

Earth has no resting place,

Jesus alone can bless,

Jesus is mine!

2. Tempt not my soul away,

Jesus is mine!

Here would I ever stay,

Jesus is mine!