Tuesday, November 18, 2014
If I’ve already bored you by writing about or mentioning some of my favorite hymns, I’m afraid you won’t like this message because today, I want to share some thoughts on one of the greatest hymns of all time, “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus.” It was written in 1932 by Charles F. Weigle. For two centuries now, many beautiful hymns have been written, but I sincerely believe that the ones with the greatest impact are those whose authors lived it’s message Such was the case with this hymn. It’s author wrote it following the darkest and most difficult time in his life. He was despondent and ready to give up because his wife of many years decided she no longer wanted the “funless” life they were living. Although he pleaded with her to reconsider and not go, she left him anyway. At his lowest point of despair, an inner voice reminded him that the One who truly cared for him would never leave him; and that’s how this old and beloved hymn was born. Additionally, the hymns which touch us the most are those we can personally relate to.
In the case of this hymn, many of us can say just like the second stanza of the song, “All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me; all my heart was full of misery and woe. Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me, and He led me in the way I ought to go.” All who come to Christ with sincere hearts realize that they have been greatly forgiven. As a result, they are so thankful that they later feel inspired to write about it or else share their story with the world some other way. A case in point is the story in the 7th Chapter of Luke about a known sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet in the house of a prominent Pharisee. In the 47th verse of this chapter, Jesus said: “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” This truth still holds today, and I bet this woman ran out of the house that day just looking for a chance to tell the world about her encounter with Christ. Why do I say that? I say it because millions upon millions have done the same throughout the ages. The truth is that anyone who has ever been forgiven by God, realizes he has been greatly forgiven, but an even sadder truth is that many feel they have just been forgiven a little bit. Because of it, they love the Lord very little in return. I cringe whenever I hear someone say something like, “I know Jesus forgave me for my sins, but I was never really that bad.” I trust you are not in that group. Even the Apostle Paul, a man greatly used of God, wrote, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy1:15)
Yes, the lesson may have been truly painful, just as it was for the author of this hymn, but many of us have learned by experience that no one cares for us like Jesus, and that there is no other friend so kind as He. In a world such as ours where there are so few upon which we can place our trust, it is so heartwarming to know that there will always be One who really loves and cares for us. His name is Jesus.
Memory verse for the week: (Luke 6:46) Jesus said: "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say."
