Give Me Jesus

The Story Behind Give Me Jesus

According to umcdiscipleship.org, the origin of this hymn arose from a merger of traditions in American culture,

"The origins of this spiritual appear to be a confluence of the white hymn tradition and the creativity and existential experiences of enslaved Africans. Numerous first stanzas appear over the decades with the refrain “Give me Jesus,” though the most commonly used initial stanza now begins “In the morning when I rise.”

Related scripture quotes:

1 John 5:19 ~ We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

1 John 2:15 ~ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Mark 8:36 ~ For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

Photo credit: GettyImages/shuang paul wang