"As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him Who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work." John 9:4
Words: Charles Carroll Luther, 1877.
Charles Luther (1847-1924) was a journalist and lay evangelist before being ordained as a Baptist minister in 1886. He wrote about 25 hymn texts. In 1877, he heard Rev. A.G. Upham relate the story of a young man who was about to die. He'd only been a Christian for a month, and sorrowed because he'd had so little time to serve the Lord. He said, "I am not afraid to die; Jesus saves me now. But must I go empty handed?" This incident prompted the writing of the hymn; Stebbins wrote the music when Luther gave him the words. The complete hymn was first published in Gospel Hymns No. 3, 1878.
Music: George Coles Stebbins (1846-1945)
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