My family intends to leave Monday morning for several days in the mountains together. Since our last attempted vacation in late May, when I was hobbled by gout, life has been challenging. The wreck which forever changed our lives on June 16th and the subsequent hospitalization and recovery have occupied the vast majority of our time and energies. Amy and I thought it would be wonderful to gather our children, pack up the van and head to Tennessee for the week of Thanksgiving in order to reconnect as a happy foursome again. While I’m away I plan to use the words from “The Valley Of Vision” to encourage you in the blog. If you don’t have a copy of this little book, I recommend you purchase it and make it a part of your heart searching before the Lord. It will certainly be health to your spirit. May God refresh you mightily this week of Thanksgiving as you are enabled to appreciate who He is and what He is doing on your behalf. He is so incredibly good to us all and so worthy of our highest praise.
Christian Love
O Lover of the loveless, it is Thy will that I should love Thee
with heart, soul, mind, strength, and my neighbor as myself.
But I am not sufficient for these things.
There is by nature no pure love in my soul;
Every affection in me is turned from Thee;
I am bound, as slave to lust, I cannot love Thee, lovely as Thou art,
until Thou dost set me free.
By grace I am thy freeman and would serve Thee, for I believe thou art my God in Jesus,
and that through Him I am redeemed, and my sins are forgiven.
With this freedom I would always obey Thee, but I cannot walk in liberty,
any more than I could first attain it, of myself.
May thy Spirit draw me nearer to Thee and Thy ways.
Thou art the end of all means, for if they lead me not to Thee,
I go away empty.
Order all my ways by Thy holy Word and make Thy commandments the joy
of my heart, that by them I may have happy converse with Thee.
May I grow in Thy love and manifest it to mankind.
Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus; give me His benevolent temper,
his beneficent actions, that I may shine before men to Thy glory.
The more Thou doest in love in me and by me, humble me the more;
keep me meek, lowly, and always ready to give Thee honor.