All the World to You?

Will Thompson discovered that God had given him a gift: He could write songs. Born on this day in 1847, he could be inspired by just about anything. He described receiving inspiration even at “odd times.” Ideas might come “no matter where I am, at home or hotel, at the store or traveling.”

Yet Thompson could find no one to publish these songs. Although tempted to give up, he decided instead to start his own publishing company.

In perhaps his most influential hymn, Thompson described what Jesus meant to him: “Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all; He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall.”

Thompson had learned that Jesus was always with him: “When I am sad, to Him I go, no other one can cheer me so; when I am sad, He makes me glad, He’s my Friend.”

This gifted songwriter had experienced the storms of life, but he also knew that Jesus “sends the sunshine and the rain” and that He also “sends the harvest’s golden grain.” He recognized there was no need to give in to doubt, because Jesus was a Friend who had been “so true to me.” He simply had to follow Him, knowing that “He watches o’er me day and night.”

Instead of being swayed by his circumstances, Thompson learned that he could trust Jesus no matter what was happening in his life: “I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him when life’s fleeting days shall end.” He looked forward to spending eternity with Jesus, where he would have a “beautiful life that has no end.”

Right now, think about what Jesus means to you. Are you are living for the pleasures and glories of this life, or is Jesus “all the world” to you? Don’t hesitate. Dedicate yourself to having an intimate relationship with Him.