Hymn post: "Come, Thou fount of every blessing..."

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 His Name! I’m fixed upon it!

Name of God’s redeeming love.

Hitherto Thy love has blessed me;

Thou has brought me to this place;

And I know Thy hand will bring me

Safely home by Thy good grace.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Bought me with His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee:

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;

Seal it for Thy courts above.

NEWS FLASH!!: We have wandering hearts!! 

Paul says “the good I want to do, I don’t. The one I don’t want to do, I do.” (Romans 7:18-19). How epic fails our hearts can be – disloyal when all that is expected of us is loyalty to the Precious Lord who saved our souls when we were at our worst!!

What then? Are we doomed? Is this a helpless cause? No! Then what CAN we do in light of all this? I believe as the hymn states:

1) Admit that we are wanderers and weak in our own strength to resist temptation and other straying (doing our own thing instead of God’s) – we can’t get it right on our own!

2) When we do wander, confess it to God.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” – 1 John 1:9

3) Submit our hearts (affections, desires, focus and energies) to God regularly and ask Him to direct them – that our treasure might be Him (Matthew 6) and His purposes.

Hymn post: "Just as I am"

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not,

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, though tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings and fear within, without,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

I love the simplicity of this hymn and the truth it reflects in our relationship with God. All we have is who we are – lost, messed up, rotten and broken with nothing to offer to God in exchange for the salvation of our souls. We are not in a position to barter. We can’t even offer Him the promise of being ‘good’ and obedient the rest of our lives if He saves us because we a)Know ourselves b)Don’t know about tomorrow’s trials and temptations 

Yet knowing all this – our weakness, our brokenness and mess, He simply says, come. He says come as you are…not as you hope to be.

Whether as a sinner turning to God for the first (or gazillionth umpteenth time) or as a child of God who has strayed briefly (or for a WHILE), the offer is the same: "I know you in and out, I know the mess – Come to me and receive my forgiveness, my grace, my love and my restoration."

Singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs..

I love old church hymns! They have such rich words based on the truth of the gospel. Because of this, they remain relevant over time and are such a rich avenue to encourage one’s self and others as we ponder God’s goodness toward us and remind ourselves of God’s promises toward us.

That said, I’ll be sharing some of my favourite hymns here with a brief exhortation before or after each and I trust as you read through them your heart (and mouths) will be stirred up to belt them out with me and be drawn (even) closer in fellowship with God. J J

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” - Colossians 3:16.

Qualify your counselors!

Every day, many good men love their wives and children, work responsibly to provide and go home straight after work. But you won't see them in the news, coz that's "boring" stuff. You will hear about the one who torched his children in rage, the one cheating on his wife with some call girl or the one who'd rather spend all their evenings in the bar.

Every day, many good wives support their men, help to pay the bills and sacrifice for their family’s sake but you won't see them in the news. Why? Coz that's "boring". You will hear about the gold digger suing her husband silly in court or the one who could care less about her children's wellbeing.

Every day, many well behaved children, honor their parents, work diligently in school and do chores. But you won't see them in the news, coz once again, that's "boring" stuff. You will hear about the ones beating up and raping people, joining gangs, and dropping out of school. You will hear about the rude brats embarrassing or suing their parents.

Every day, many good parents-in-law help to watch their grandchildren, bring over home cooked food and advise their married children very well. But you won't see them in the news, coz that's "boring" stuff. You will of course, often hear about the mother in law from "hell".

POINT: The news cannot be the main basis of your view concerning marriage and family. It is geared toward shock value for higher viewership and sales. Look all around you: there are people enjoying marriage and family every day. IF YOU CAN'T SEE THEM, YOU NEED NEW FRIENDS! OR TO SPEND YOUR TIME IN NEW CIRCLES!!

If you are interested in having a good marriage and good family:

• QUALIFY YOUR COUNSELORS. They will determine and shape your expectation & experience.
• GET GOOD EXAMPLES TO EMULATE AND FOLLOW. Befriend some people with good marriages and families and talk to them often. Ask them questions and receive good advice. 
• Above all, SEEK GOD FOR WISDOM regarding your spouse, your children and relationships. He instituted them, He didn't do so to set us up for failure - ASK HIM!

After all, faith does come from hearing…What you choose to focus on, you eventually believe and most surely, manifest in your own life...

“Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant...” - Romans 11:5

(Post adapted from an anonymous author)

God as my Daddy! (#1)

The Lord’s Prayer begins with the words ‘Our Father’. I wonder how many of us live and relate with God in the light of that reality? Because it is!! For those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, God is our Father!

In a sermon I was listening to a while ago by JD Greear, he pointed out one of the greatest issues that plagues the Christian is prayerlessness which sometimes stems from not relating rightly with God. So I decided to take a look at the concept or idea of God, firstly as my Father and I trust that as you read through this too, you will come into the awareness of His immense love for you and delight in you as His son or daughter.

 

 

So what does this mean to have Him as my Daddy? What kind of Daddy is He toward me? What can I be confident of?

 v  He loves me (Romans 8:31)

 v  He has only the best intentions for me (Jeremiah 29:11)

 v  He would give/do anything for me – (John 3:16; Isaiah 43:1-4)

 v  He protects me and never leaves me alone (Hebrews 13:5)

 v  His word is good i.e. He keeps His word to me  (He is faithful – 1^st Corinthians 1:9; Numbers 23:19)

 v  He wants me to come to Him boldly, freely, unashamed, freely (Hebrews 4:16)

v  He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7)

v  He is my confidant: he listens and answers every time (Psalm 116:1-2)

v  He always has my back (2^nd Timothy 4:16-17)

v  He defends me (Romans 12:19)

v  He provides for me (Philippians 4:19)

v  He shields me from evil (2^nd Timothy 4:18)

This list is obviously not extensive and you can feel free to add stuff to it. The point here is – for both you and I – that the more we internalize these traits of God as our Daddy, a caring, loving and involved Father, the more personal, honest, rich and true our prayer time will become.

For example if you know that He wants only the best for you, you can be confident that even in tough times that He is working the situation out for your good though you can’t see it (Romans 8: 28). Similarly, even when it seems like no one is with you and you are afraid, being confident of the fact that His promise to never leave you alone or forsake you is good – you can speak to Him knowing that He hears you (Psalm 116:2).

Today, meditate on this truth, secure in your Daddy’s love and your unwavering place in His family. You’re the Lord’s and He loves you, unconditionally.

God will make a way

Isaiah 43:19b: “I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

God will make a way.

Let me say that again. God will MAKE a way. Not that He will find a way or look for one either. HE. WILL. MAKE. ONE!

Make (verb): To bring into existence; to cause to exist or happen; to establish or enact.

How is it possible that He can/will make a way? 

God is not limited by the options available or unavailable. He is not bound by time or space (Psalm 139:7). God is not without resource – in fact, He owns ALL that is (Psalm 24:1). God is not threatened or intimidated by so and so or their title (Romans 13:1 – “All authority comes from God…”).

God is not working off what lies you’ve heard (and maybe believed over the years) about your uselessness, hopelessness or weakness – He knows you. He formed you (Psalm 139:13-15) and has a great destiny for you (Jeremiah 29:11). They might have said (or are saying) you’ll never do it or never make it but if God says it’s yours, your assignment or your victory, best believe He’s gonna MAKE a way!! It might not be how everyone else does it/has done it but if God’s in it – He will make a way!

 

 “Resting in Christ’s character is directly related to our knowledge of Him. The greater we recognize Him to be, the more we are able to rest in Him.” – Paul Washer.

Ask God to give you peace as His Spirit works this truth into your heart. He’s got you. And though you can’t see how (with your limited, one-dimension, over-analyzing anxious earthly view), He is able to and will make a way.

Stop running from your past..

 As long as you keep running, your past keeps chasing because your running gives life to your past.

And let’s face it: As long as you are being chased, you don’t really have the luxury of enjoying the blessings of today do you? And worse still, hoping and planning for the future is out of the question because who knows when the past will show up?

How to stop running:

1.     Face up to it. You screwed up – you made bad decisions (intentionally or unintentionally) and the consequences show. If you’re fortunate enough not to have them show, the regrets and the replays in your mind are constant reminders. Forgive yourself.

2.     Yes - they hurt you (intentionally or unintentionally) by taking advantage, oppressing you, silencing you and cutting you down or worse. You know it – they might too (or might not), but you’re carrying it around with you daily. Forgive them.

3.     You hurt some people too. Took advantage of them, treated them with little or no respect perhaps by speaking to them in a way that reflected that or speaking about them (whether the things were true or not, you had no right to be going on and on about it!). Whatever you did, or didn’t do – make things right. Ask for forgiveness.

Now look around. Breathe. No one’s chasing you anymore. You’re free!!

"I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." - Jesus.

 

NB: Steps 1-3 take time – sometimes it’s in an instant we feel the weight lift off, and the fresh air of hopefulness regarding the future rushes in. Sometimes though, it’s a process involving journaling, tears, counseling, hugs and incredible amounts of boldness to set things straight. Regardless of the duration, one day, not so far from today (when you stop running),  you’ll look up, breathe and be amazed at the abundance with which you are able to live – truly live – because your past will no longer be dictating your present.