Philippians 3:7-8

The composer of today’s hymn was Will Lamartine Thompson (1847-1909), who was born in Pennsylvania, but his family moved to East Liverpool, Ohio (near the Pennsylvania border) while he was still quite young. His father was a successful merchant and served in the Ohio legislature for a time. It turned out that Will was quite successful in business also. He marketed his music, in part, by sending copies to various minstrel shows, which were popular at the time. He quickly became successful and was known as the millionaire “Bard of Ohio.”

Whether Thompson had Paul’s words in our text in mind or not when he wrote “Jesus Is All the World to Me,” he surely was influenced by the words:

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:
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.

Jesus is all the world to me,
My friend in trials sore;
I go to him for blessings, and
He gives them o’er and o’er:
He sends the sunshine and the rain,
He sends the harvest’s golden grain:
Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain,
He’s my friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,
And true to him I’ll be;
Oh, how could I this friend deny,
When he’s so true to me?
Following him I know I’m right,
He watches o’er me day and night;
Following him bye day and night,
He’s my friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,
I want no better friend;
I trust him now, I’ll trust him when
Life’s fleeting days shall end:
Beautiful life with such a friend,
Beautiful life that has no end;
Eternal life, eternal joy,
He’s my friend.