1 Timothy 1:12-13 ‘I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief..’

DAILY READING –Acts 3; Deuteronomy 17-18; Job 12

Robert Robinson was a famous hymnist, who authored the well beloved hymns “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “Mighty God, while angels bless Thee”.
His life story is a reflection of God’s amazing grace
Robert was only eight years old when his father died. He became an unruly child despite his loving mother’s efforts to raise him well.
When he was 14 years old, his mother sent him off to another town to work as an apprentice. As Robert began living away from his home, his life only got worse. Instead of working and learning, Robert chose drinking, gambling, and carousing with the wrong crowd.
Caught up in his reckless life, one day, Robert and his friends decided to go and make mischief at an evangelist meeting being held by the famous preacher, George Whitfield. However, as he sat in meeting, Robert felt as if the preacher’s words were being directed personally to him.
Robert left the meeting full of fear, and under a deep sense of conviction over his sins. He couldn’t shake the feeling that God wanted him to surrender his life and serve him.
Finally when he was twenty years old, in December 1755, Robinson fully gave his life to Christ. Three years later, he returned to his home town, where he began preaching in a declining Baptist church. Under his ministry, the Church experienced revival and the congregation soon outgrew the Church premises and a new building was erected.
At the age of 22, he wrote the song “Come Thou Fount,”. It was written as his own spiritual story — a story of pursuing pleasure in the wrong places but only finding true joy when he encountered Christ. Today, millions of believers who listen to his hymn are able to deeply relate to Robert Robinson’s testimony of God’s grace that found him.

Looking back on our own lives, we can also see how God’s grace has abounded towards us.
At several low points of life, the grace of God had reached down and pulled us up.
Even the times we had messed up and rightly deserved the consequences of our actions, yet somehow God’s grace has covered us. By His mercies we had not been consumed.
Certainly, there is no substitute for grace on our journey in life.
When a man runs alone, it is called ‘a race’, but when he runs with God it is called ‘grace’.
Not everyone who started the race this year was able to get to this month of December.
But our own race has been by grace, that is why we are still here.
For this, amongst many other reasons we ought to be grateful and sincerely bless God from the depths of our hearts.
Indeed, if we can think, we can thank.
We cannot possibly know all the details of God’s goodness this year; the many traps He delivered us from and the hidden battles He fought and won for us. However, for every of His blessings, known or unknown, we remain truly grateful.
And as we thank God for His blessings we have seen so far this year, He will ensure we see yet greater wonders in the coming days.
Thanksgiving is the mystery behind a sudden change of story. Genuine, heartfelt thanksgiving brings us in contact with Heaven’s inexplicable wonders.
Every time we offer genuine thanks, fresh oil for fresh impact comes upon us. And with this fresh anointing, we are guaranteed to scale greater heights.
Indeed gratitude is what empowers us for higher altitudes. You can’t change to a higher level without it.
Therefore, in these last days of the year, let us continually give God worthy praise, knowing He has been the glory and the lifter up of our heads.
Indeed if it had not been for the Lord on our side, where would we be? Despite all our frailties, faults and shortcomings, we have been kept by His mercies, we have been preserved by His love.
Let us therefore keep acknowledging His hand upon our endeavors and keep proclaiming Him the doer of every good thing in our lives.
Certainly, God has been faithful. And for all His goodness and amazing grace this year, we are truly grateful.

PRAYER: Lord, I thank You for Your amazing grace and faithfulness in my life. Please grant me the grace to adequately count my blessings this year so as to continually bless You at all times in Jesus Name.

QUOTE;
Whenever God places a demand on you, He is only positioning you to receive more from Him. WORDBITE 222.