"Give Me Jesus"

Another one of my favorites ...

Give Me Jesus

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus.

When I was looking up that song online to find the author (apparently a traditional Gospel song with an unknown author), I found another "Give Me Jesus" written by 19th century hymn writer Frances Crosby.

I remember enjoying her hymns in the small church I grew up in, and appreciating her walk with the Lord ... She was a woman who was blind from childhood because of a doctor error, but loved the Lord very much and wrote over 8,000 hymns during her lifetime (wow...). To this day, the vast ma­jor­i­ty of hymn­als in America include her work. Speaking of her blindness, she said ...

"It seemed in­tend­ed by the bless­ed prov­i­dence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dis­pen­sa­tion. If per­fect earth­ly sight were of­fered me to­mor­row I would not ac­cept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been dis­tract­ed by the beau­ti­ful and in­ter­est­ing things about me."

Here is Frances Crosby's "Give Me Jesus" -

Take the world, but give me Jesus,
All its joys are but a name;
But His love abideth ever,
Through eternal years the same.

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

Take the world, but give me Jesus,
Let me view His constant smile;
Then throughout my pilgrim journey
Light will cheer me all the while.

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