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"Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" & Contentment

by brad on July 3, 2009 in Living Worship with No comments

Introduction to the “Living Worship” Series

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 His name – I’m fixed upon it; Name of God’s redeeming love.

Verse of Discontentment:
Each new day I long for something; Hoping it will fill my heart
Desire drives me, peace forsaking; Yearnings cause my mind to dart
How many times I’ve thought “If only!”; God would give me what I ask
God’s patient with hearts so stony; Free me from repeating past

Verse 2:
Hither to Thy love has blest me; Thou hast 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; Wand’ring from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger; Bought me with His precious blood

Verse of Contentment:
Resting fully in Your blessing; Desires ring with fresh “thank You’s”
For the first time now I’m seeing; What has been in clearest view
Every good thing flows from Your hands; Discontentment blinds my eyes
Now I’m free from my heart’s demands; Joy is contentment’s surprise

Verse 3:
O to grace how great a debtor; Daily I’m constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter; Bind my wand’ring 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.

DEVOTIONAL:


“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
& Our Battle for Contentment
(Click Here for PDF Devotional Handout)

In a culture that is so marked by affluence that it might well be called “a land flowing with milk and honey” we struggle to be content.  Often like young children three days after Christmas we are so saturated with blessings that we begin to grumble.

As we think about God’s blessing and our battle for contentment, it is helpful to consider the context in which Paul discusses grumbling in I Corinthians 10:9-13 (emphasis added):

We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

In discussing grumbling Paul emphasizes the faithfulness of God.  A lack of contentment is a passive-aggressive way of calling into question whether God has been good and faithful.

In the application lyrics to this song the key points being emphasized are (1) that discontentment is a distortion of reality based upon the demands our heart and (2) that contentment unlocks the door to the only source of lasting and true joy.

LIVING WORSHIP: How Great Thou Art

by brad on May 23, 2009 in Living Worship with No comments

How Great Thou Art

Verse 1:
Oh Lord My God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed 

Chorus:
Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee
How Great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee
How Great Thou art, how great Thou art 

Verse 2:
When though the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sings sweetly in the trees
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze 

Verse Battling Pride:
Too often I, make life so much about me
Each moment lived, for building up my name
I do a task, while hoping someone will see
Please change my thoughts, to focus on Your fame 

Verse 3:
And when I think that God his Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin 

Verse Christian Humility:
Foolish and void, my old way of life seems now
There’s so much more, as I think of me less
Freedom is found, as my heart now gladly bows
So sweet to have, Christ as my righteousness 

Verse 4:
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim my God how great Thou art! 

“How Great Thou Art” & Our Battle with Pride
(Click Here for PDF Devotion Handout) 

Something is great in all of our lives.  We get out of bed in the morning for something.  Even depression (in most cases) is the mere recognition that that our “something” is not as great as we hoped it would be.  The big question of life and worship is, “What ‘great’ thing are we counting on?” 

As Christians, we know the answer is (or at least should be) God.  Yet our sinful hearts often fill in the blank with pleasure, accomplishment, money, recreation, affection, or approval.  In the foolishness of sin, we are deceived (sometimes all too willingly) into believing (because we want to believe) that these things will provide the satisfaction for which our hearts long. 

Throughout the history of the church, it has been recognized that pride is one of (if not the) root sin.  We think we know better than God what will make us happy and life work.  We are bold enough (even if our temperament is timid) to pursue what we think will make life worth-while.  Then when it fails we question God; as if He failed or refused to meet our “needs.”  We think, “God, I thought you wanted me to be happy.  And blank is what makes me happy.  Why did you let it fall apart?” 

At this point in our prayer, we often do not see our pride.  We are too hurt, confused, and frustrated.  Yet the types of questions and accusations we are raising against God are the epitome of pride—thinking we know best. 

“How Great Thou Art” is a hymn that beautifully challenges this mindset with God’s majesty and grace.  God is the Author of life and creation (verses 1 and 2).  We pridefully sinned against His created order (verse “pride”).  In spite of that God sent His Son to bear the burden of our sin (verse 3).  Through humble repentance God restores us to the order and joy He intended (verse “humility”).  Life now takes on meaning and is filled with joy as we live to see God’s triumphant kingdom advanced (verse 4). 

As you sing, rejoice as you reflect on how God’s majesty and grace delivers us from the destructiveness of our pride.  When you are tempted to make life about you, sing this hymn to re-center your life on God.

Introduction to “Living Worship” Series

by brad on May 12, 2009 in Living Worship with 1 Comment

Life is worship.  Because we are made in God’s image to reflect His glory everything we do and every struggle we face reveals what we believe to be worthy (of time, attention, resources, or sacrifice), relevant, beautiful, and valuable.  Losing sight of the fact that all of life is worship is the ultimate example of missing the forest for the trees.  And we all do it.

In the “Living Worship” series my goal is to add application lyrics to well-known hymns and praise songs in order to bridge the gap between daily living and perpetual worship.  I pray that whether you use them in personal worship, small group worship, or corporate worship that they help you see that we live all of life “before the face of God.”  I hope this increased realization can be source of comfort, encouragement, and spurring on to holy living.

Each lyric also comes with a brief devotion.  This devotion attempts to explain how the added lyrics seek to bridge the message of the original song to the life application.  These devotions come in reproducible PDF format.

No charge or compensation is expected for these resources.  I do ask that you document where the applications lyrics came from (www.bradhambrick.com) if they are printed or reproduced in a PowerPoint format.  No charge or profit should be made by the individual or group using the materials without express written consent.

 
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