GIVE OF YOUR BEST TO THE MASTER

The hymn, GIVE OF YOUR BEST TO THE MASTER, was written by Howard B. Grose.

It could never be said that Howard gave God the second-best or only the left-over parts of his life; he gave the best to Jesus Christ, his Master. He was an ordained Baptist pastor, served several churches, was the president of the University of South Dakota, taught at the University of Chicago, was the assistant editor of a newspaper in Boston, was the editorial secretary for the American Baptist Home Mission Society and he edited Missions journals.

He wrote the text for this hymn in 1901. The first stanza instructs us what to give; the second stanza informs us how to give our best; and the third stanza clearly reminds us why we should give our best. THE REASON…because Jesus gave His best for all of us!

An interesting part of this hymn story is that the music composer, Charlotte Barnard, never heard this hymn using her music. After composing several tunes for secular songs, she had died in 1869…some 30 years before the hymn text had been written! When Howard had finished his text, they fit perfectly with the tune and timing of this old secular song. Charlotte’s tune found a new and better life as a gospel hymn which has been published in hymnbooks ever since.