Scripture Verse

God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Introduction

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Sylvanus D. Phelps
1816–1895

Words: Syl­van­us D. Phelps, 1862. First ap­peared in the Watch­man and Re­flec­tor, Vol­ume 45, No. 11 (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: 1864). The orig­in­al first line was Some­thing, my God, for Thee. Phelps ev­i­dent­ly re­wrote the words lat­er to go with Low­ry’s tune.

Music: Some­thing for Je­sus Ro­bert Low­ry, in Pure Gold (New York: Big­low & Main, 1871) (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

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Robert Lowry
1826–1899

On Phelps’ 70th birth­day, Low­ry wrote him:

It is worth liv­ing 70 years ev­en if no­thinging comes of it but one such hymn as

Savior! Thy dying love
Thou gavest me;
Nor should I aught withhold,
Dear Lord, from Thee.

Happy is the man who can pro­duce one song which the world will keep on sing­ing af­ter the au­thor shall have passed away. May the tune­ful harp pre­serve its strings for ma­ny a long year yet, and the last note reach us on­ly when it is time for the sing­er to take his place in the hea­ven­ly choir.

Lyrics

Savior, Thy dying love
Thou gavest me.
Nor should I aught withhold,
Dear Lord, from Thee.
In love my soul would bow,
My heart fulfill its vow,
Some offering bring Thee now,
Something for Thee.

O’er the blest mercy seat,
Pleading for me,
My feeble faith looks up,
Jesus, to Thee.
Help me the cross to bear,
Thy wondrous love declare,
Some song to raise, or prayer,
Something for Thee.

Give me a faithful heart,
Likeness to Thee.
That each departing day
Menceforth may see
Some work of love begun,
Some deed of kindness done,
Some wanderer sought and won,
Something for Thee.

All that I am and have,
Thy gifts so free,
In joy, in grief, through life,
O Lord, for Thee!
And when Thy face I see,
My ransomed soul shall be
Through all eternity,
Something for Thee.