Now I Belong to Jesus

Jesus, my Lord will love me forever,
From Him no pow’r of evil can sever,
He gave His life to ransom my soul;
Now I belong to Him;

Chorus
Now I belong to Jesus,
Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone,
But for eternity.

Once I was lost in sin’s degradation,
Jesus came down to bring me salvation,
Lifted me up from sorrow and shame,
Now I belong to Him;

Joy floods my soul for Jesus has saved me,
Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me
His precious blood, He came to redeem,
Now I belong to Him;

You can, once again, thank Joe Washington for the hymn this week.  It is rare that he stumps me at the His Hands Extended devotion, but today, I have to honestly say, I had never heard this song before.  As with any good hymn that I hear, I try to commit at least a small phrase to memory so that I can find the song later via Google.  This hymn was good enough to belong on “Hymn of the week.”

This song was written by Norman Clayton, a Brooklyn native and the ninth of ten children.  He was saved at age six, and music must have been one of his giftings because he began to play the church organ at the age of 12.  He played the organ in church for the rest of his life.  He also founded a gospel music publishing house called “Gospel Songs” which later became part of the Rodheaver publishing company.  I think I may have one of the “Gospel Songs” hymnals as part of my personal belongings.

In researching this hymn, I found a great story on one of my favorite hymn websites.  www.wordwisehymns.com

Lindsay Terry, in his book Stories Behind Popular Songs and Hymns (Baker Book House, 1990) recounts a moving story about one occasion when this song was used which such individuals.

Briefly, it concerns a missionary named Roy Gustatson who was invited to minister at a notorious prison in Jamaica. He sang and preached the gospel that day to a thousand men. But then, a guard asked if he’d meet with a small group of condemned prisoners who were to go to the gallows in a couple of days. The consciousness that this would be the last time these men would hear the gospel gripped him.

To these men, starkly facing a Christless eternity, Roy gave his personal testimony, and sang Norman Clayton’s song, Now I Belong to Jesus. One pitiful wretch, squatting on the floor before him, was a condemned killer. He said, “I’m going to die on Tuesday morning, sir. Can I be saved?” Adding sadly, “I can’t read.”

When Roy Gustatson read him some salvation verses from the Word of God, the man bowed his face to the dirt floor sobbing, and called on the Lord to save him. Then, smiling through his tears, he asked for Clayton’s song to be sung again and, with some help, he sang along. As the guard let the evangelist out of the prison, he looked back and saw the man, waving his arms through the bars, still singing, “Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me, / Not for the years of time alone, / But for eternity.”

What an awesome story!!!! Aren’t you thankful that we serve a God that doesn’t require you to be able to read to be saved?  If so, some 5 and 6 year olds couldn’t go to Heaven.  Aren’t you glad you serve a God that doesn’t abandon you on death row?  But that He is still seeking to save that which was lost.  That He is still hiring laborers at the 11th hour.  I am thankful that Joe sang this great song this morning.  I am grateful Norman Clayton wrote this song many years ago.  And I am grateful for the missionary Roy Gustatson.  That he was willing to share the Gospel with those that might not seem to “belong” to anyone – the forgotten prisoners on death row.

Couple of comments on these Biblical lyrics:

• No pow’r of evil can sever – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written:  “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  It is hard to beat the Apostle Paul and Romans chapter 8.  Nothing can separate.  And nothing can sever……..ever!!!  Praise the Lord!!!

• Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me – “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.  And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  It is hard to beat the Apostle Paul and Romans Chapter 6.  Slave to sin = death.  Freed from sin = eternal life – a gift from God!!!

• “Go pack up your belongings.”  If you have ever heard that phrase before, it typically has negative connotations.  A landlord telling a tenant “Go pack up your belongings and get out of here.  You haven’t paid your rent.”  Someone has reached the bottom financially.  They don’t have a penny to their name. They no longer have a roof over their head.  They only have their stuff – their belongings, and they are told to get your belongings and get out.  What a harsh reality that is for some, even in modern day America.

But after hearing this song, I thought of that phrase in a different, somewhat unique, way.  I hear God the Father telling Jesus – “Son, go get your belongings – get what belongs to you.  You paid for them.  You redeemed them with your shed blood.  They are yours.  Go get your belongings, and bring them home.”

Are you waiting for that day? Anticipating the day He calls us home? Aren’t you thankful today that you belong to Him? I Corinthians 6:20 – “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”