Sing along and pray this prayer put to music, from our album Reflect Hymn:
Download this song (and more!) for “Name Your Price” Here: www.reflect.bandcamp.com or you can visit here and learn more about our efforts to get this album into nursing homes.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson (1757) Robert Robinson was what you would call an “unruly child.” At only eight years old his father died, and he was raised by his loving mother. In spite of Robert’s intellectual giftedness, he had a penchant for mischief. Robert’s mother sent him off for an apprenticeship when he was only 14, but once he got out of the home his life got worse. Instead of working and learning, Robert chose drinking, gambling, and carousing with the wrong crowd. Caught up in his reckless life, Robert and his friends decided to go to an evangelist meeting one night just to heckle the preacher, George Whitfield. Sitting in that meeting however, Robert felt as if the preacher’s words were meant for him alone. He couldn’t shake the feeling that God wanted him to surrender his life and serve him. When he was twenty, Robinson gave his life to God and entered the Christian ministry. At the age of 22, he wrote the song “Come Thou Fount,” for his church’s Pentecost celebration. It was written as his own spiritual story — a story of pursuing pleasure and joy, and only experiencing it when “Jesus sought me.” Millions of believers can relate to Robinson’s testimony — “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,” and the glorious testimony, “O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!”
VERSE 1:
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
VERSE 2:
Here I lay my life before Thee, Hither by Thy help I come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood
VERSE 3:
Oh 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, Lord, take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above
Words and Music by Robert Robinson and John Wyeth
Public Domain
Ever notice how when your singing a Hymn at church that the third verse gets skipped in a four verse Hymn? Well, I am rebelling against that trend by skipping the first verse instead! Or sometimes I’ll just sing every other line just to keep people on their toes! Or skip just the last line in the last verse and end on a dissonant chord… just to mess with people. Sometimes I like to sing it backwords in French and just stare back at people when they give me weird looks.
like this weird look
Can you guess which verse got skipped this time? And tell me, do you even like this song?
Download this song (and more!) for “Name Your Price” Here: www.reflect.bandcamp.com or you can visit here and learn more about our efforts to get this album into nursing homes.
The Old Rugged Cross
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the Dearest and Best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.
Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.
In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me someday to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
Today I share a few thoughts and the song, What a Friend We Have in Jesus. This is the absolutely brilliant and fun to play Kathryn Scott version. She adds a Chorus and some musicality you’re sure to enjoy. Here ’tis (song begins at 4:30 – but preamble is worth the listen!):
Tonight has me thinking about what a gift it is that God invites every one of us into friendship with him. How close does God want to be? What is our part? How do we get in on friendship with God? First of all we must open the door!
I love how my NLT translation puts that verse:
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” Revelation 3:20
Sharing a meal together as friends… with Jesus! Is that something that you are interested in? Yea, me too. So lets simply open the door and let him in!
Next, to be a good friend to God means trusting him and loving others. This, of course, is adapted from the passage of Scripture where Jesus says:
“You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:14 NLT
The surrounding context (surrounding chapters) inform us that his commands equate to trusting him and loving others.
Here is the immediate context:
“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. 10If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.
12This is My commandment, that you love one another as I loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
14You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. 17This is My command to you: Love one another.” John 15
For heaven’s sake don’t ask yourself, “what is the most loving thing I can do for or say to this person right now”. I guarantee you will get that one wrong nine times outa ten. Instead, ask God! Chances are if you are flowing with him, the most loving thing will just flow naturally because you are filled and flowing in the Holy Spirit and he has poured the love of Papa into and through you.
Our mission in life:
“Love the person you are with in the moment”
Living in the perfect will of God is as simple as this.
Download this song (and more!) for “Name Your Price” Here: www.reflect.bandcamp.com or you can visit here and learn more about our efforts to get this album into nursing homes.
Be Thou My Vision is a song that comes from an unknown source during a spiritually rich period of time after St. Patrick (385-461 AD) brought the Gospel to Ireland. Patrick’s story is one of my favorite stories of history and I will attempt to give you an interestingand accurate account of his life and impact upon Ireland and subsequently the world.
(Incidentally it is difficult to weed through all the legends and folklore that have arisen around Patrick’s story. So, in order to arrive at the truth – and be a good journalist – you have to find credible sources for the facts. Thankfully we have a few surviving documents that were written by the man himself. Any information you find in this blog are from those sources.)
If you want an amusing and quasi-accurate account of his story please watch the following video. They did their homework but of course it does take some humorous artistic license:
Rome at the time of St. Patrick was about to fall. It was withdrawing troops from outlying regions back to protect Rome. The problem was that Rome provided stability. They protected the people from raiders and pirates and slave traders. Once they were gone the pillaging began in full force. At the age of 16 St Patrick (whose real name was Maywin Socket) was captured in a massive slave collecting campaign. He was loaded onto a ship bound for Ireland along with thousands of others. Prior to this Patrick was running with the wrong crowd. Even though he was raised in a Christian home, his father was a deacon, his grandfather a priest, he had no interest and was, I suppose you could say, part of a gang of thugs and troublemakers.
Once he arrived in Ireland he spent time in a village where he got to know some of the other prisoners. These prisoners possessed a faith that intrigued Patrick. He also spent much time out in the elements caring for cattle and other animals, sometimes in very wet and cold conditions. It was this hardship that caused him to cry out to God and his faith began to take root and grow.
Soon he was praying quite often and getting (and giving) encouragement with other believers when he could. He began to love his captor and the people of Ireland and learned their language.
After six years God gave him a dream that told him his ship was ready, indicating that it was time to make his escape.
This gave him the courage to make an over 200 mile journey to the coast. It took courage because slaves who tried to escape were flogged and sometimes killed. He indeed found a ship that was preparing to sail and asked to be taken aboard. At first the captain refused and sent him away but then a crew member encouraged him to come aboard.
He had a subsequent dream in which Jesus told him, “He who gave his life for you, he it is who speaks within you.”
In fact, I was surprised by how much of his life was guided by his supernatural and visionary experiences with God. Eventually he returned home and served as a priest for many years until God once again gave him a dream in which a man (an angel?) named Victoricus came bearing letters from the people of Ireland and he heard the voice of the people say, “We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk again among us.” He obeyed the heavenly vision and returned with several other missionaries to live among the people of Ireland and share the good news of Jesus with them. He had a long and successful ministry even though heavily persecuted and harassed by both unbelievers and those “in the church” alike.
During the early period of his life he did something he was extremely ashamed of. Later on in his life and ministry he confessed this deed to someone he trusted. His trust was misplaced as the man then turned on him and told his superiors in the church of his deed. This caused him a great deal of trouble but it is the reason we have one of his documents (Confession – which relates to his confession of faith, not of sin).
It is an interesting read, please click on the above link to read and learn more!
This song is the third most popular hymn in the world by my sources and rightfully so. It is a beautiful prayer that God would be our vision. This is the most noble vision statement of all.
Be Thou My Vision
Be thou my vision, oh Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light
Be thou my wisdom and thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I thy true son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and thou only, first in my heart
High King of heaven, my treasure thou art
High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all
Words and Music by Eleanor Hull and Mary E. Byrne
Public Domain
Download this song (and more!) for “Name Your Price” Here: www.reflect.bandcamp.com or you can visit here and learn more about our efforts to get this album into nursing homes.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” (Revelation 4:8 NLT)
So why “Holy”? Why is “Holy” the word the angels choose to unceasingly declare in the presence of God? I have often asked myself that question. What does it even mean? It certainly must mean something more amazing and beautiful than most of us understand. Even the Bible dictionary hardly helps us understand the depth and beauty of this word:
That definition doesn’t really do it for me. How bout you? (This article helped!) I like how in this article the author adds “otherness, transcendent and totally other”.
Transcendant. I like that.
This following video is a must watch. It was interesting and extremely informative:
He is the Transcendant Source. The Creator and Sustainer of all that is. My best way to explain Holy is to say that God is absolutely perfect in every of his most wonderful attributes. His holiness contains them all. Love, Joy, Peace, etc… He is absolute perfection in every way.
And then, he commands us to be holy.
“As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” (1 Peter 14-17 NIV)
I have to believe that within His command lies the ability. Just as through his command the heavens and earth were created, so too by his command are we made holy.
Here is where my mind goes with this: When your Creator says to you, “Be Holy”, it has an effect on you. It’s like when Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3) His command actually does the cleansing work. His command changes reality. He has made it so. And yet, the Scripture says God alone is holy: “For you alone are holy.” (Revelation 15:4)
So what exactly is happening here? What does that mean for me and you?
God alone is holy and yet he commands us to be holy. Jesus is the answer to this dilemma. Scripture teaches us that Jesus has brought us into God and made us partakers of his divine nature. He has made us one with God if we have received Jesus as our Savior. His prayer in John 17 was answered!
Lyrics:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in Three Persons, bless’d Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Song History:
Reginald Heber (1783-1826) wrote this in 1826 for Trinity Sunday celebration. He died suddenly that same year at the age of 43 and his wife later found and passed on these lyrics to John B. Dykes (1823-1876) who composed the music for publication.
After extensive research and comparing various lists of most popular Hymns, I have compiled a list of my own!
Here are the Top 10 Christian Hymns
(I have included lyric videos of those we have personally recorded. Please click on the blue titles that are linked to pages that go into further detail containing complete song stories, etc…)
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Abide With Me
Alas And Did My Savior Bleed?
All Creatures of our God and King
All Hail The Power of Jesus’ Name
All The Way My Savior Leads Me
Amazing Grace
Are You Washed in the Blood?
At Calvary
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Be Thou My Vision
Before The Throne of God Above
Blessed Assurance
Blest Be The Tie That Binds
Child of the King
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
Cleanse Me
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Count Your Blessings
Crown Him With Many Crowns
Day By Day
Doxology
Eternal Father, Strong To Save
Face To Face
Fairest Lord Jesus
Faith is the Victory
Faith of our Fathers
Fight the Good Fight
God Leads His Dear Children Along
God Will Take Care Of You
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
He Hideth My Soul
He Is Coming Again
He Lives
His Eye Is On the Sparrow
Holy, Holy, Holy
How Firm A Foundation
How Great Thou Art
I Am Thine, O Lord
I Love To Tell The Story
I Need Thee Ev’ry Hour
I Surrender All
I’d Rather Have Jesus
I’ll Fly Away
In the Garden
In The Hour of Trial
In The Sweet By and By
It is Well
Jesus, Lover Of My Soul
Jesus Loves Me
Jesus Paid It All
Just As I Am
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Lord I’m Coming Home
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Love Lifted Me
Moment By Moment
More Love To Thee
Morning Has Broken
My Faith Looks Up To Thee
Nearer My God, To Thee
No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus
Now We Thank All Our God
O Come All Ye Faithful
O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
O Holy Night
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O Worship The King
Old Time Religion
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior
Peace, Perfect Peace
Praise Him! Praise Him!
Precious Lord Take My Hand
Rescue The Perishing
Revive Us Again
Rock of Ages
Safe in the Arms of Jesus
Saviour, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Softly And Tenderly Jesus Is Calling
Standing on the Promises
Take My Life and Let It Be
Take Time To Be Holy
The Old Rugged Cross
There Is A Fountain
There Is Power In The Blood
Till The Storm Passes By
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Trust And Obey
Victory In Jesus
What A Day That Will Be
What A Friend We Have in Jesus
What Child Is This?
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
When We All Get To Heaven
Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go
Yesterday, Today, Forever
TOP 250 Hymns
A
A Mighty Fortress (featured)
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide (featured)
Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended (featured)
Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed (featured)
All Creatures of our God and King (featured)
All Glory, Laud and Honor (featured)
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (featured)
All People That on Earth Do Dwell (featured)
All Things Bright and Beautiful (featured)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (featured)
Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) (featured)
America the Beautiful (featured)
An Evening Hymn (featured)
And Can It Be, That I Should Gain? (featured)
Angels From the Realms of Glory (featured)
Angels We Have Heard on High (featured)
As with Gladness Men of Old (featured)
At the Name of Jesus
Away in a Manger
B
Baptized in Water
Battle hymn of the Republic
Be Still, My Soul
Be Thou My Vision (featured)
Beneath the Cross of Jesus (featured)
Blessed Assurance (featured)
Blest Be the Tie That Binds (featured)
Bread of the world, in mercy broken (featured)
Break Thou the Bread of Life
Breathe on me, Breath of God
Brightest and best of the sons of the morning
C
Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing
Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation
Christ Upon the Mountain Peak
Christ the Lord is risen today (featured)
Christ, Whose glory fills the skies
Come Down, O Love Divine (featured)
Come, Christians, Join to Sing
Come, Thou Almighty King (featured)
Come, Thou Fount (featured)
Come, Thou long expected Jesus (featured)
Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain
Come, ye thankful people, come (featured)
Come, ye that love the Lord
Comfort, comfort ye my people (featured)
Comfort, comfort ye my people (featured)
Crown Him with many crowns (featured)
D
Dear Lord and Father of mankind
E
Eat This Bread
Eternal Father! strong to save (featured)
F
Fairest Lord Jesus (featured)
Faith of our fathers, living still
Fight the good fight
For all the Saints, who from their labor rest (featured)
For the Beauty of the Earth (featured)
For the Fruits of His Creation
Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive
From All That Dwell Below the Skies (featured)
From Heaven Above to Earth I Come
G
Gift of Finest Wheat
Gloria Patri
Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken (featured)
Glory to God
Go to Dark Gethsemane (featured)
Go, Tell It on the Mountain (featured)
God Be with You Till We Meet Again
God Is Here
God Moves in a Mysterious Way
God of Grace and God of Glory (featured)
God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand (featured)
God, My Hope on You Is Founded
Good Christian Men, Rejoice (featured)
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah (featured)
H
Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise (featured)
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed (featured)
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (featured)
Hark, the Glad Sound
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
He Is Lord
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
Here I Am, Lord
Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! (featured)
Hosanna, Loud Hosanna (featured)
How Great Thou Art
How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (featured)
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord (featured)
I
I Come with Joy
I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
I Love to Tell the Story (featured)
I Need Thee Every Hour (featured)
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me (featured)
I Will Sing Of My Redeemer (featured)
I love Thy kingdom, Lord
I sing th’almighty power of God (featured)
If Thou but Suffer God to Guide Thee (featured)
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (featured)
In Christ There Is No East or West
In the Bleak Midwinter (featured)
In the cross of Christ I glory, Towering o’er the wrecks of time (featured)
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (featured)
J
Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love
Jesu, Thou joy of loving hearts!
Jesus Calls Us, O’er the Tumult
Jesus Christ is Risen Today
Jesus Loves Me, This I Know (featured)
Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun (featured)
Jesus, Lover of My Soul (featured)
Jesus, Priceless Treasure (featured)
Jesus, Remember Me
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee
Joy to the world! the Lord is come! (featured)
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (featured)
Just as I am, without one plea (featured)
K
Kyrie
L
Lamb of God
Lead on, O King Eternal (featured)
Leaning on the everlasting arms (featured)
Let All Things Now Living
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing
Let Us Break Bread Together (featured)
Let Us With Gladsome Mind
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (featured)
Lift High the Cross
Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates (featured)
Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song
Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (featured)
Lord Jesus, Think on Me
Lord of All Hopefulness
Lord, Be Glorified
Lord, I Want to Be a Christian (featured)
Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak
Lord, You Give the Great Commission
Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing, Fill our hearts with joy and peace
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (featured)
Low in the Grave He Lay (featured)
M
Many and Great, O God
May the Mind of Christ, My Savior
Memorial Acclamation C
Morning Has Broken, Like the First Morning
My Faith Looks Up to Thee (featured)
My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (featured)
My Jesus, I Love Thee (featured)
My Song Is Love Unknown
N
Near the Cross (featured)
Now Thank We All Our God (featured)
Now the Green Blade Riseth
O
O Come, All Ye Faithful (featured)
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (featured)
O For a Thousand Tongues (featured)
O God, Our Help in Ages Past (featured)
O Jesus, I have promised
O Lord, Hear My Prayer
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High (featured)
O Master, let me walk with Thee
O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing! (featured)
O Word of God Incarnate
O Worship the King all glorious above (featured)
O for a Closer Walk with God
O little town of Bethlehem (featured)
O perfect Love, all human thought transcending (featured)
O sacred head now wounded (featured)
Of the Father’s Love begotten (featured)
Oh, How I Love Jesus (featured)
On Eagle’s Wings
On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry (featured)
Once in Royal David’s City (featured)
Onward, Christian Soldiers (featured)
P
Parting Hymn
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow (featured)
Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens Adore Him
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (featured)
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven (featured)
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
R
Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart (featured)
Rejoice, the Lord is King! (featured)
Ride on! ride on in majesty!
Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me (featured)
S
Sanctus
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us (featured)
Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God
Send Me, Lord
Shall We Gather at the River? (featured)
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Silent Night, Holy Night (featured)
Sing Praise to the Lord
Sing praise to God who reigns above (featured)
Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle
Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling (featured)
Soldiers of Christ, arise
Songs of Thankfulness and Praise
Soon and Very Soon
Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart (featured)
Spirit of the Living God
Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
Stand up, and bless the Lord
T
Take My Life, and Let It Be (featured)
Take Up Thy Cross, the Savior Said
Tell Out, My Soul
The Church’s one foundation (featured)
The Day of Resurrection (featured)
The First Noel the Angel Did Say (featured)
The God of Abraham Praise (featured)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns
The King of Love My Shepherd Is (featured)
The Lord Be With You
The Lord’s My Shepherd
The Lord’s Prayer
The Old Rugged Cross (featured)
The Servant Song
The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended
The strife is o’er, the battle done (featured)
There Is a Balm in Gilead (featured)
There Is a Fountain (featured)
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
Thine Is the Glory
This Is the Feast of Victory
This Joyful Eastertide
This is my Father’s world And to my listening ears (featured)
This is the Day
To God Be the Glory (featured)
Trust and Obey (featured)
W
We Are Marching
We Gather Together (featured)
We Give Thee But Thine Own
We Praise Thee, O God (featured)
We plough the fields, and scatter
We three kings of Orient are (featured)
Were You There (featured)
What Child Is This (featured)
What Wondrous Love Is This (featured)
What a Friend We Have in Jesus (featured)
When I survey the wondrous cross (featured)
When Morning Gilds the Skies (featured)
When Peace, Like a River (featured)
When in Our Music God Is Glorified
While shepherds watched their flocks (featured)
Y
Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim (featured)
The story of John Newton, the man who wrote Amazing Grace, inspires and moves me. Here was a man who underlines the profound truth that there is no one beyond the grace of God. There is no one beyond his reach of redemption. (For a more thorough look into the historical details surrounding John Newton see the video at the bottom of this post. Personally, I am more interested in how his story relates to us all.)
John Newton was by his own admission a wretch and blasphemer. He was raised by a Christian mother who had high hopes for him to become a pastor one day. But she died when he was just a boy. In his adolecsence he pursued his dream of life as a sailor and eventually became a captain of a slave ship. He revealed that during this time he sinned with a high hand and made it a practice to tempt and seduce others.
I can only imagine all of the lives he destroyed and the horrors he inflicted on others as a slave trader and the wicked man that he confessed to be… but all of this mans wickedness provides a context for how truly amazing God’s grace is.
God forgave him.
God embraced him.
God saved him.
God’s grace is his unmerited favor toward all sinners won for us by the loving sacrifice of God’s dearly loved Son, Jesus. God’s grace is his smile upon you. It is a warm hug from God in spite of all your filthiness and that which you think makes you unworthy. In fact, it is his loving kindness that cleanses the filthiness from us. As we receive his love and the Fathers embrace, we are healed.
As I think on John Newtons story I can’t help but think of the story Jesus told of the prodigal son. Jesus told this story to reveal the Father’s heart toward all us sinners. He runs to meet you. He embraces you. He freely forgives and forgets how you have wronged him. He will NEVER bring up your past shame… ever again. You are his beloved child.
I have been moved to tears so many times by the prodigal son story. When I hear a song about it or when I read the passage in Luke 15, it moves me. Why? Because I can relate. I am that foolish prodigal son who is often so ignorant of how loved he truly is… but I’m gradually catching on. Thank you God for your patience! At other times I have been like that older son who perhaps represents all the religious self-righteous who can’t rejoice in the redemption of their brother. Both need to come home to Papa. Both will find grace when they do.
I love the Scripture that says, “God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NIV)
There is no one beyond the grace of God. You are not beyond his reach. There is no one you know or have even ever heard about that is beyond the grace of God. With all the profound sinners the world has to offer, Jesus sacrifice covers them all.
This is scandalous! I once got fired for talking about how scandalous God’s grace is. He forgives serial killers and rapists, he forgives pedophiles and child abusers. He forgives torturers and sex traffickers, He forgives porn stars and porn addicts. These all are, after all, his lost kids that he is reaching out to, aching for them, anxious to forgive them, anxious for them to return home.
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 ESV)
This is the good news.
God saves sinners, no matter how far gone, no matter how bad off. There is hope for us all.
And now you can take this message of grace to anyone, anywhere.
Watch the video below to learn more details of John Newtons story:
Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’” (Luke 15 NLT)
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson (1757) Robert Robinson was what you would call an “unruly child.” At only eight years old his father died, and he was raised by his loving mother. In spite of Robert’s intellectual giftedness, he had a penchant for mischief. Robert’s mother sent him off for an apprenticeship when he was only 14, but once he got out of the home his life got worse. Instead of working and learning, Robert chose drinking, gambling, and carousing with the wrong crowd. Caught up in his reckless life, Robert and his friends decided to go to an evangelist meeting one night just to heckle the preacher, George Whitfield. Sitting in that meeting however, Robert felt as if the preacher’s words were meant for him alone. He couldn’t shake the feeling that God wanted him to surrender his life and serve him. When he was twenty, Robinson gave his life to God and entered the Christian ministry. At the age of 22, he wrote the song “Come Thou Fount,” for his church’s Pentecost celebration. It was written as his own spiritual story — a story of pursuing pleasure and joy, and only experiencing it when “Jesus sought me.” Millions of believers can relate to Robinson’s testimony — “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,” and the glorious testimony, “O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!”
Here is where my mind goes with this: When your Creator says to you, “Be Holy”, it has an effect on you. It’s like when Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” (
