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ensign edwin young

Have I Done My Best for Jesus

Words: Ensign Edwin Young (b. Jan. 3, 1895; d. July 22, 1980)
Music: Harry E. Storrs (b. _____, 1900; d. _____, 2000)

Note: The remarkable story of a daring rescue that inspired this hymn is told on the Wordwise link below. Though it happened in 1860, the song itself wasn’t written and published until 1924. The author was not a military “ensign;” that was his first name–though he usually went by E. Edwin Young.

Harry Storrs was a musician who composed the music for a number of gospel songs. With Bob Jones Sr., he edited and published the book Special Revival Hymns. The dates given for him are somewhat suspect. They seem too neat to me. But they can serve at least as an approximation.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The question raised by this song is an important one–and certainly convicting. But it is also fraught with the danger of misconceptions at several points.

(1) I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
Who died upon the cruel tree?
To think of His great sacrifice at Calv’ry!
I know my Lord expects the best from me.

How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I’ve helped to free?
I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
When He has done so much for me?

  1. Regarding that first line, we need to be sure to answer any implied “because” question correctly. The Bible is abundantly clear that salvation comes not through what we do for God–whether it’s our “best” or not–but on what He did for us. To be fair, I see no indication that Mr. Young was suggesting salvation was earned by our good works. But there are some who believe that.

Here is the place God’s Word gives to good works. Salvation is “not by works of righteousness which we have done” (Tit. 3:5). But “those who have believed…should be careful to maintain good works” (vs. 8, italics mine).

By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Eph. 2:8-10

We are not saved by good works, but “for good works.” It is God’s plan and purpose that the saints invest their lives in His service.

  1. The last line in the first stanza should also be questioned. Is it true that the Lord “expects the best from me”? In a way, perhaps. He is certainly worthy of not only our best, but of our all. However, here is what the Lord actually expects:

Without Me you can do nothing.

Jn. 15:5

These words were spoken to the apostles, after three years of intensive training. But they are not told, “You can do a little now.” It’s nothing. Only by drawing nourishment and strength from the Vine (the imagery Christ is using in the context), can we bear fruit for eternity. Only by the grace of God can we serve Him.

Who is sufficient for these things?…Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.

II Cor. 2:16; 3:5
  1. There is a third issue that comes to light in the refrain. And, again, let me say that I’m not accusing the author of the hymn of the misconception I’ll address. But I know it’s abroad in the hearts and minds of some. The refrain asks: “How many…how many…?”But there are definite dangers in the numbers game. Counting the proverbial noses and nickels in order to determine how successful a ministry has been will too often foster pride. King David got himself into grave trouble by numbering the people (I Chron. 21:1-30; cf. 27:23).

I know of missionaries who laboured for many years in a spiritually dark area, and either saw no converts come to Christ, or perhaps one. So was their work a failure? Not necessarily. While it’s helpful in some ways to keep track of the results of our labours, it does not begin to provide the full picture. We need to leave the counting and the ultimate assessment to the Lord.

The other emphasis of the hymn is that “He [Christ] has done so much for me” (refrain). There we can safely rest. The more we know of the sacrifice of Christ, and the extent of the work of salvation, the greater will be our wonder and worship. (And this will keep on growing, through the ages of eternity, as we learn more and more.)

In the book of Romans, Paul pleads with his readers, and us, to respond on the basis of “the mercies of God” (i.e. because of all that God has done for us) to become living sacrifices, offered up to Him.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom. 12:1

Questions:

  1. Given the issues raised, would you use this song in your church?
  2. What do you do when you find a hymn that contains unbiblical teaching–or teaching that could easily be misunderstood?
    • Do you sing it anyway, because people like it, and it has a catchy tune?
    • Do you simply discard the song and not use it?
    • Do you skip the questionable stanzas and sing the rest?
    • Do you explain why you don’t want to use the song, or don’t want to use some stanzas?
    • Do you change the words to something that seems more biblical?

Links:

Today in 1689 – Christian Von Rosenroth Died

,

dawn

Christian Knorr von Rosenroth would likely be considered an unorthodox cultist today. He believed, among other things, that the Jewish mysticism of the Kabbalah offered proofs of the doctrines of Christianity. But even though most of us would reject his eccentric beliefs, he created an insightful hymn that is worth a look.

Dayspring of Eternity seems to relate to the Bible’s description of Christ as: “the Sun of Righteousness” (Mal. 4:2), “the Dayspring from on high” (Lk. 1:78), and “the Bright and Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). I usually quote only part of the hymns I discuss in this blog, but I’m going to include the full hymn this time.

Dayspring of eternity!
Hide no more Thy radiant dawning!
Light from light’s exhaustless sea,
Shine on us afresh this morning!
And dispel with glorious might
All our night.

Let Thy mercies’ morning dew
Rouse our conscience from its blindness:
Gladden life’s dry plains anew
With the rivers of Thy kindness;
Water daily us Thy flock
From the rock.

Let the glow of love destroy
Cold obedience faintly given,
Wake our hearts to love and joy
With the flushing eastern heaven;
Let us truly rise ere yet
Life hath set.

Through this dark and tearful place
Never be Thy light denied us.
O Thou glorious Sun of grace,
To yon world of gladness guide us,
When to joys that never end
We ascend!

Ah! Thou Dayspring from on high
Grant that at Thy next appearing
We who in the graves do lie
May arise, Thy summons hearing,
And rejoice in our new life,
Far from strife.

Light us to those heavenly spheres,
Sun of grace, in glory shrouded;
Lead us through this vale of tears
To the land whose days unclouded,
Purest joy, and perfect peace
Never cease.

(2) Today in 1829 – Louis Gottschalk Born

Louis Moreau Gottschalk was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father was English, his mother French. At the age of 6 he began the serious study of the violin, but later turned to the piano. When he was 12, he was taken to the Conservatoire in Paris, presenting himself for examination, but the judges refused to give the boy a hearing. A decade later, he was one of the judges! No less that Frederick Chopin predicted he would become “a king of pianists.”

Louis Gottschalk has given us the tune Mercy, from a piano piece he composed called The Last Hope. It is used with the hymns Softly Now the Light of Day, and Holy Ghost, with Light Divine. (The latter is called on the video clip below, Holy Spirit, Light Divine.)

Softly now the light of day
Fades upon my sight away;
Free from care, from labour free,
Lord, I would commune with Thee.

On YouTube – Holy Spirit, Light Divine

 (3) Have I Done My Best for Jesus (Data Missing)

What exactly is a hero? Certainly Edward Spencer would qualify. He was a student at Northwestern University in 1860, when a steamer called Lady Elgin was wrecked off the shores of Lake Michigan. Despite numerous injuries from floating wreckage, he repeatedly dashed into the raging surf to rescue passengers in mortal peril. Seeing his deteriorating condition, others tried to stop him, but on he went. He is credited with saving 18 people, one by one, finally collapsing in utter exhaustion. It is reported that, as he lay all night in the infirmary, he repeated over and over, “Did I do my best, fellows? Have I done my best?”

Spencer is honoured by a plaque in the gymnasium of Northwestern University. But there are a couple of sad footnotes to his story. He was so badly injured that apparently he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. And when visited in later years he said with tears, “Not one [of those rescued] ever came back and even said thank you.” Though he undoubtedly did not rescue them in order to earn their gratitude, it is a sad commentary on our frequent failure in this area.

In 1924 Ensign Edwin Young (1895-?) heard Spencer’s story and published a song that draws a spiritual lesson from the incident. (Ensign was not a title of rank, but was Young’s first name.) Young served as Dean of the School of Music at Hardin-Simmons University, in Texas 1934-1956. His song raises the penetrating question, Have I Done My Best for Jesus?

I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
Who died upon the cruel tree?
To think of His great sacrifice at Calv’ry!
I know my Lord expects the best from me.

I wonder, have I cared enough for others,
Or have I let them die alone?
I might have helped a wand’rer to the Saviour,
The seed of precious Life I might have sown.

The refrain heaps question upon question:

How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I’ve helped to free?
I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
When He has done so much for me?

Today in 1689 – Christian Von Rosenroth Died

,

Christian Knorr von Rosenroth would likely be considered an unorthodox cultist today. He believed, among other things, that the Jewish mysticism of the Kabbalah offered proofs of the doctrines of Christianity. But even though most of us would reject his eccentric beliefs, he created an insightful hymn that is worth a look.

Dayspring of Eternity seems to relate to the Bible’s description of Christ as: “the Sun of Righteousness” (Mal. 4:2), “the Dayspring from on high” (Lk. 1:78), and “the Bright and Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). I usually quote only part of the hymns I discuss in this blog, but I’m going to include the full hymn this time.

Dayspring of eternity!
Hide no more Thy radiant dawning!
Light from light’s exhaustless sea,
Shine on us afresh this morning!
And dispel with glorious might
All our night.

Let Thy mercies’ morning dew
Rouse our conscience from its blindness:
Gladden life’s dry plains anew
With the rivers of Thy kindness;
Water daily us Thy flock
From the rock.

Let the glow of love destroy
Cold obedience faintly given,
Wake our hearts to love and joy
With the flushing eastern heaven;
Let us truly rise ere yet
Life hath set.

Through this dark and tearful place
Never be Thy light denied us.
O Thou glorious Sun of grace,
To yon world of gladness guide us,
When to joys that never end
We ascend!

Ah! Thou Dayspring from on high
Grant that at Thy next appearing
We who in the graves do lie
May arise, Thy summons hearing,
And rejoice in our new life,
Far from strife.

Light us to those heavenly spheres,
Sun of grace, in glory shrouded;
Lead us through this vale of tears
To the land whose days unclouded,
Purest joy, and perfect peace
Never cease.

(2) Today in 1829 – Louis Gottschalk Born

Louis Moreau Gottschalk was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His father was English, his mother French. At the age of 6 he began the serious study of the violin, but later turned to the piano. When he was 12, he was taken to the Conservatoire in Paris, presenting himself for examination, but the judges refused to give the boy a hearing. A decade later, he was one of the judges! No less that Frederick Chopin predicted he would become “a king of pianists.”

Louis Gottschalk has given us the tune Mercy, from a piano piece he composed called The Last Hope. It is used with the hymns Softly Now the Light of Day, and Holy Ghost, with Light Divine. (The latter is called on the video clip below, Holy Spirit, Light Divine.)

Softly now the light of day
Fades upon my sight away;
Free from care, from labour free,
Lord, I would commune with Thee.

 (3) Have I Done My Best for Jesus (Data Missing)

What exactly is a hero? Certainly Edward Spencer would qualify. He was a student at Northwestern University in 1860, when a steamer called Lady Elgin was wrecked off the shores of Lake Michigan. Despite numerous injuries from floating wreckage, he repeatedly dashed into the raging surf to rescue passengers in mortal peril. Seeing his deteriorating condition, others tried to stop him, but on he went. He is credited with saving 18 people, one by one, finally collapsing in utter exhaustion. It is reported that, as he lay all night in the infirmary, he repeated over and over, “Did I do my best, fellows? Have I done my best?”

Spencer is honoured by a plaque in the gymnasium of Northwestern University. But there are a couple of sad footnotes to his story. He was so badly injured that apparently he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. And when visited in later years he said with tears, “Not one [of those rescued] ever came back and even said thank you.” Though he undoubtedly did not rescue them in order to earn their gratitude, it is a sad commentary on our frequent failure in this area.

In 1924 Ensign Edwin Young (1895-?) heard Spencer’s story and published a song that draws a spiritual lesson from the incident. (Ensign was not a title of rank, but was Young’s first name.) Young served as Dean of the School of Music at Hardin-Simmons University, in Texas 1934-1956. His song raises the penetrating question, Have I Done My Best for Jesus?

I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
Who died upon the cruel tree?
To think of His great sacrifice at Calv’ry!
I know my Lord expects the best from me.

I wonder, have I cared enough for others,
Or have I let them die alone?
I might have helped a wand’rer to the Saviour,
The seed of precious Life I might have sown.

The refrain heaps question upon question:

How many are the lost that I have lifted?
How many are the chained I’ve helped to free?
I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus,
When He has done so much for me?