“I Love Him Better Every Day”

[Nelson Bradford]

I love the LORD . . . I will call on him as long as I live. ~ Psalm 116:1-2

Thoro Harris was born only eight years after the Civil War ended. Think about what society was going through in those days following the abolition of slavery. Even though he was a black man he had a distinguished career in the Christian music business. He wrote the gospel hymn, "All That Thrills My Soul Is Jesus." This song connects him to the Nazarene Church because even though he wrote it in 1917, in 1931 the publishing rights were sold to Lillenas Publishing, which became the Nazarene Publishing House.

In the 1930s Major Sidney E. Cox was Principal of the Salvation Army College for Officer Training, Atlanta. He is responsible for two classic choruses, "Deep and Wide" and "My Lord Knows The Way Thro The Wilderness."

In 1926 Thoro Harris wrote a hymn with three verses which were seldom sung, and the song has been lost to history. However, back then Major Cox found the song, added a refrain to Harris' hymn which became one of the most popular children's choruses of all time.

The blessed Jesus loved me
Before I ever came
And tasted His salvation
Or thought upon His name.
He called me and He wooed me,
And I am His today
As hand in hand we journey
Along the heavenward way.

Refrain
I love Him better every day.
I love Him better every day.
Close by His side I will abide.
I love Him better every day.

- Thoro Harris, 1926

Copied from Sing to the Lord © 1993 by Lillenas Publishing Company

Hymn commentary courtesy J. D. Sherrow

[Bill Morrison]

And some of you, like me as a kid, sang it as : I love him better every "D".."A".."Y"
and: Close by His "S".."I".."D".."E", I will "A".."B".."I".."D".."E"....

No wonder we can spell so much better than the video game addicted phone toting superhero worshipping expensive athletic shoed Happy Meal kids of this generation!

BILL