Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
God has called you to bless Him and bless others. That’s what this song is about.
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 Thy mount! I’m fixed upon it! Mount of God’s redeeming love.
Oh, God is the wonderful source of every blessing you enjoy, friend. Bright, beautiful, sunny days, cool summer showers, peaches and cream, how about a BBQ with your best friends, freedom of worship, a home that’s secure, family that cares, and so much more. And just why does God bless us? Well, that we might thank Him for every good gift and that we might pass on those blessings to others.
My husband Ken does this with me. He is not so quick with the rebukes and corrections; he is much quicker with the appreciations and blessings and encouragements. And that ensures that when Ken does criticize me, I always hear it in the larger context of love. Normally, the sting of a rebuke would outweigh everything, but in the face of many previous blessings heaped on, I’m able to take his criticisms with a good attitude.
To bless others is the very calling of the Christian. It says so in I Peter chapter 3, verse 9, where it says, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you might obtain a blessing.” There you have it. You bless someone else, that person receives your blessing, and God blesses you for blessing that other person. Part of God’s mercy to us when we take time to refresh others is that boomerang effect talked about in Proverbs chapter 11 verse 25 where it says, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” It’s the old story of reaping what you sow. Do you want your relationships to be more refreshing to you? Then find a way to bless your friends, your husband, your kids, your grandkids, your coworkers, neighbors, and God will in turn refresh your heart. He’ll bless your life. And before long, what do you know… you will gain a reputation for being a genuine encourager. You’ll be known for your affirmations, not your criticisms and corrections. That’s what happened to Barnabas in the book of Acts; he’s called there ‘a son of encouragement’.
At first you might think you’re not very good at blessing—at affirming others, thanking them, pointing out their strengths, appreciating their work or highlighting their good character qualities, affirming their generous spirit. But whatever, you may not be good at it at first. It may not come easy to you, but God will help you. After all, it’s God who wants to bless you in return.
Today, do not forget Proverbs 11 verse 25: “He who refreshes other will himself be refreshed.” And remember 1 Peter Chapter 3, “Don’t repay evil for evil that you might obtain a blessing.”
And you may have heard me share that we are coming up on celebrating 50 years of God’s faithfulness to me and my wheelchair. Who would have thought that five decades ago God would lift me up out of such deep discouragement to eventually lead a worldwide ministry to special needs families around the world? Amazing what God has done!
Music: “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by Robert Robinson, Public Domain
© Joni and Friends
Previously aired by Joni and Friends on 7/8/11, #7615
