Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

Sweeter Rest

There is no hymn that brings me greater joy and assurance than this one: Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken. Written by Henry Francis Lyte in 1824 and originally sung to the tune of “Ellesidie” by Mozart, I’ve loved the “retuned” melody by Bill Moore (2001) and sung by Indelible Grace Music.

The hymns original lyrics are edited a little to more modern English and all six stanzas are sung by Indelible Grace, which is why the song is a whopping 8 minutes long. However, every time I turn it on I find myself drawn to the lyrics and a glimpse of that sweeter rest. The tune is also admittedly, stuck in my head on repeat. However, I see this only as a benefit as I find myself constantly singing truth in my head or quietly to myself throughout the day.

In a time of reflection and meditation on this hymn, I’m hoping to write a little bit every few days or week - reflecting on each of the six stanzas presented in the song. They might not be in order based on which one I feel like reflecting on.

1. Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my All shalt be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I've sought or hoped or known;
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

“Sell all that you have and give to the poor…come, follow me”

Luke 18:22

Jesus knows our hearts and our tendency for idolatry. This rich young ruler wants to know how he can inherit eternal life after doing good all his life. Jesus asks him to take up his own cross, that is, to abandon his earthly riches and follow Christ for the reward in heaven. But the rich young ruler isn’t able to do that and leaves Jesus in disappointment.

Even more drastically, Jesus says “If you come to me but will not leave your family, you cannot be my follower. You must love me more than your father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters—even more than your own life! Whoever will not carry the cross that is given to them when they follow me cannot be my follower.” Luke 14:26-27

Here Jesus addresses another good thing that can so easily turn into an idol — family. That’s what makes this hymn deeply personal for every follower of Christ. “Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee”. It isn’t some to leave and follow thee, rather all. This is not to say that Christ is commanding us all to abandon our families but rather the importance of Christ is first in our hearts.

I get teared up thinking about this because of how hard it truly is the take up the cross daily in obedience to Christ and the Christian faith. In fact, we are called to suffering as Christians (1 Pet. 5:10) through which these inward trials can bring us more chastened to the Lord.

“Destitute, despised, forsaken”

This made me immediately think about Isaiah 53:4, an Old Testament text written ~700 years before Jesus’ birth which so clearly points to the forecoming messiah; Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

Jesus was destitute and became poor for us (2 Cor 8:9), despised by both Jew and Gentile, to the point of being nailed to a cross, and forsaken by the Father (Ps. 22:1, Matt. 27:46).

Because of his mercy given to me, rescuing me from certain despair and eternal damnation though I deserved it (Rom. 6:23) and his sheer grace, electing me and calling me to himself through no merit of my own — that is why I can also faithfully sing “Thou from hence my All shalt be. Perish every fond ambition, All I've sought or hoped or known”

In basic English, thou from hence my All shalt be translates to From now on, You shall be my everything. I love the way that Tim Keller writes about why Christ is our everything. In the plurality of the religions across the world, it is only the Christian God which offers salvation through no merit of the sinner himself. It is only by the Hound of Heaven which prods, pursues, and calls us that we can respond in obedience and good works.

If I believed a religion which taught that my works contribute to whether or not I was saved, in which I would have no assurance of salvation nor understanding of how that god could contribute to my salvation — I might begin to think that since I could contribute to my own salvation, it puts me on equal footing with god and therefore I wouldn’t need god to be saved. I can do it myself — just be a good person.

But the Christian God says that it is not because of our own works or ourselves that we are saved. Our works before God are like filthy rags compared to His righteousness (Isaiah 64:6). It is only by the sheer grace of God which forgives me of my sins through the blood of Christ that I can now know that my debt has been paid. In return, I owe everything to God and I can confidently say from now on, Christ, you shall be my everything.

What is your Hairy, Audacious Goal?

I was asked this question in a form recently for a startup accelerator application that I was filling out. Some of you may know but I’m working on something new with a few engineering & computer science friends from UofT. The question was asking us basically, where do you see this startup in 10 years if the best case scenario happened.

I thought not only about my startup but of all the goals I had in life. I really wanted to be comfortable. Make some good money when I’m young, enjoy my work and find a job I love, succeed in my own startup and be able to live comfortably surrounded by family in a nicely decorated, moderate sized home. Get married, have kids, spend time writing and reading. Maybe even pursue a Masters in Theological Studies, whether a school in the US or Canada.

While I do not believe any of the things I envision or hoped for was necessarily wrong, I can be reminded every time I listen to this song that I must perish, that is, to suffer complete destruction of every fond ambition when compared to Christ. Everything I’ve ever hoped, known, longed after — none of them compare to the riches of Christ which has already been offered to me.

“Yet how rich is my condition! God and heaven are still my own.”

I can be reminded and have such blessed assurance that my treasures are not stored here on earth, not based on money, my work, my startup, not even my family. But that I know through a life of faithful commitment to Christ that my reward in heaven will be more significant than that of anything I could sought, hope for, or known about here on earth. In that, I say Hallelujah and Amen.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21