Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace.
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love.
I am convinced you just can never go wrong with the messages and the old hymns written by those long ago that lived and experienced God and his Word.
They must have loved the Lord and felt his presence so real. Surely, they were obedient and planted seeds of God and his love in writing these songs for those that could relate and experience for themselves. Their whole point must have been to “sing God’s grace.”
Wednesday night, December 28th, the Lord led our Pastor to allow us one more opportunity in the ending year of 2022 to testify of God’s grace and goodness and thank him publicly for what he has done in our hearts and lives. God allowed me to thank him publicly, one more time in church, and testify on my need to “stand” for HIM and his righteousness in the upcoming year. I am sure there will be things headed my way that I will need to “stand” for HIM in this life on earth in the New Year 2023.
Our Pastor preached a message on what kind of an influence are you? His passage came from 2nd Kings 5:1-3. He gave a definition of influence as the power to change or effect someone or something. He spoke about the people of influence, the process of influence and the prize of influence. It was a wonderful, soul searching and stirring message.
One of my devotions on December 31st was from Jeremiah 6:16: Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Another of my devotions this same morning, led me to Matthew 13:4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Matthew 13:4 led me to read the entire chapter of Matthew 13 which over all spoke about how each Christian should plant the seeds of the gospel in the hearts of others. The seeds will fall on different ground or people’s lives. Some will be fertile and grow for the Lord and in the Lord (wheat) and some will not (tares). It left a question in verse twenty-eight of what to do with the tares. Do we gather them up? In verse thirty the Lord says in this parable to let them both grow together until the harvest, so not to root up the wheat as well. So, as we all grow together and there may be times we have to take a stand for God and his righteousness while growing and working among wheat and tares. Let’s first examine our own individual heart and see if we are the influence as a wheat or as a tare. Remember they grow and look the same. God in the end will be the judge that separates the wheat and the tares. I read and say this with fear, trembling and concern for all. I am sure there will be many times we must stand as Christians, while still being able to show and point others to the love, forgiveness, and grace that he has to offer for all that will truly accept and receive him. We may even work and serve along side tares and plant seeds of kindness that may lead some others to accepting Christ as the way of salvation for eternity. Hopefully, we will all then ask God to “Tune my heart to sing thy grace.” Yes, God’s grace. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. G.R.A.C.E.
My Pastor’s wife, Mrs. Kim Turner has made a wonderful daily scripture reading/writing plan and I would love to share this with you to read as you desire. Search the scriptures and better tune your own heart through God’s wonderful words.
Wisdom:Better Than Rubies 