A Year of Choices…
By Barbara Dahlgren from Barbara’s Banter at www.barbdahlgren.com
Robert Robinson was a bit wild in his youth. However in his early twenties he settled down. He became an adamant follower of Jesus and a dedicated Methodist preacher. It was at that time in 1757 that he wrote the words to the beloved hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing which starts…
The last stanza says…
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.
That last part turned out to be a bit prophetic for Robertson. Legends say that in his older years he was on a stagecoach sitting next to a woman who sang the hymn and asked Robertson if he had ever heard it. He said, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand words, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.”
To which the lady replied, “The streams of mercy are still flowing.”
No one truly knows if these stories that circulate are totally accurate. Especially, since they are passed down from one generation to another. However, we know he was a wild youth. We know he came to Christ. We know he was a preacher. We know he wrote the song. We know he wandered. And we know that the “streams of mercy” were still flowing for him and they are still flowing for us!
Some of us are prone to wander from Christ. And some of us don’t actually wander away from Christ but we are prone to wander from that love we had when we first came to Christ. That’s what happened to the church at Ephesus. Although they had many fine qualities, God said, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” (Revelation2:1-7; v. 4)
This “first love” is Jesus Christ. We can be dedicated to service and sacrifice; we can be patient, good, and kind; we can even persevere – but if we don’t love Christ, we miss the mark. The things we do outwardly must be motivated by our intimate relationship with Christ.
We know that God does not pull away from us, but sometimes we pull away from God. If that is true, then we need to come back. We need to come back to Christ. We need to renew our relationship with Him. We need to rekindle our first love.
Consider this… Distancing ourselves from God does not happen overnight. It happens gradually. Being prone to wander from God is a temptation we need to resist just like any other. However, we can’t wander so far that Christ won’t lovingly welcome us back with open arms. That’s what the message of the Prodigal Son is all about! (Luke 15:11-24)
Wandering can make us weary. God tells us to come to Him when we are weary and He will give us rest. (Matthew 11:28) So if we have wandered we can do what the prodigal son did. Come back! We can come back to our Father’s house and enjoy the blessings he has waiting for us.
Suggestions for practicing this choice…
- Come to your senses. That’s what the prodigal son did. He woke up in a pig pen and said, “What am I doing here?” Some of us may not be in the pig pen yet but we might be on our way.
- Admit you made some bad choices. That’s what the prodigal son did. He admitted he blew it. He said, “I have sinned.” In other words, “I have made some really bad choices.”
- Swallow your pride. That’s what the prodigal son did. Even though it would be a bit embarrassing to return home, he decided to do it anyway.
- Repent. Repentance really means to change. That’s what the prodigal son did. When he left he had a “give me” attitude, thinking he was entitled. When he returned he was willing to be a servant in his father’s house because he knew it would be better than the life he was leading.
- Come back! That’s what the prodigal son did. He didn’t know what would be waiting for him. His father could have been angry with him. His father could have rejected him. However, his father lovingly welcomed him back. That’s what your heavenly Father will do for you.
You can hear Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYrTqBioaZ4
