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The United Methodist Hymnal · No. 470b · Words: Edward Caswall · Tune: ST. COLUMBA
My God, I Love Thee
Create PowerPoint slides from this hymn →A meditation on loving God purely for his own sake rather than for self-interested reasons. Based on a Latin poem attributed to St. Francis Xavier, translated into English by Edward Caswall in 1849, it contemplates Christ's sacrifice on the cross as the true motive for devotion.
Verse 1
My God, I love thee,
not because I hope
for heaven thereby,
nor yet because, if I love not,
I must forever die.
Verse 2
Thou, O my Jesus,
thou didst me
upon the cross embrace;
for me didst bear
the nails and spear
and manifold disgrace.
Verse 3
Then why, O blessed
Jesus Christ,
should I not love thee well?
Not for the sake
of winning heaven,
nor of escaping hell.
Verse 4
Not with the hope
of gaining aught,
not seeking a reward,
but as thyself
hast loved me,
O everlasting Lord.
Verse 5
So would I love thee,
dearest Lord,
and in thy praise will sing;
because thou art
my loving God
and my eternal King.
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