True Effectiveness Requires Thankfulness - I'm Thankful for the Grace and Blessings God Gives!

When we think about thanking God, we often think about singing. There is good reason for this as a thankful heart is a happy heart and a happy heart often is one which sings! Look at Psalm 95:2 -

Let us come to him and give him thanks. Let us praise him with music and song. (NIrV)

Thankfulness and singing go together. One way for us to help the children in our ministries learn to be thankful, is to help them become people who sing praises to God. There are some really wonderful new songs being written today; songs which will "stand the test of time" and be songs future generations will continue to sing. But, there are songs which were written hundreds of years ago which have also stood the test of time; songs which speak to us today as they have spoken to believers for many, many years. As you think about the songs you teach the children in your ministry, don't forget some of the old "classics" as they can not only give children an opportunity to, "Praise Him with music and song", but they can also teach children truth.

The song I'm sharing with you today is once such song which calls us to focus on God's blessings, mercy and grace; and are not these the things we do when we are being thankful? It is an old song (written in 1757), but definitely a good one!

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
I'll praise the Mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love




Here I raise my Ebenezer
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

Ode to grace, how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
And 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

Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

Our God is the sources for every one of our blessings. His mercy is never ceasing and they absolutely do call for songs for loudest praise! Jesus did seek us when we were wandering and He rescued us - we are great debtors to His grace; the least we can do in response is to give Him our hearts!

As you think about this very old song, think about the very true message and consider helping the children in your classes learn it!