I want to tell you about a lady named Fanny Crosby. She has written many hymns over her lifetime. You may recognize some of them like, “Blessed Assurance,” and “To God Be the Glory.” She was born in 1820 and her father died shortly after her birth. She was blinded in infancy by a careless doctor treating her eyes. As a result of her blindness, Fanny developed a phenomenal memory. She would memorize whole books of the Bible including all four Gospels. She would say that whenever she wanted to read a portion of Scripture that she would go through her mind and the verses would flow through her brain like a recorded tape.
After she came to the Lord, that vast reservoir of memorized Scripture became the nurturing fountain for her hymns. She would compose hymn after hymn in her brain and retain them with perfect memory. She would then go to her publishers and dictate them one after another. During her ninety-four years of life, she wrote approximately nine thousand hymns. This is more than anyone else in church history. Whenever she wrote a hymn, she prayed that God would use it to bring people to Christ. She had a goal of winning a million people to Christ through the words of her songs. I believe she has surpassed a million people. Fanny is proof that when your mind is focused on Scripture, you’ll seldom be at a loss for something to say that will make an eternal impact. The wisdom that came from her writing was unlimited. Can I ask you again, what Scripture are you working on memorizing? It is only when we allow the Word of God to sink into the very walls of our heart that we can be ready in season and out of season, to share with others. For 2 Timothy 4:2 says, Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. We are to live out the Word and be a walking sermon. Bill Gothard, who would conduct seminars across the country about getting into the Word said that meditation is the practice of memorizing, visualizing, and personalizing the Scripture. As we continue to faithfully memorize and meditate on Scripture, the Holy Spirit will gradually remold our minds until we see things and evaluate life increasingly from God’s point of view, and that’s the essence of wisdom. May God continue to lead you to Scripture to unfold to you new pathways of thought that you can feed on each and every day. I am looking forward to being with you this Sunday. Joy in Jesus! Pastor Mike
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Rev. Mike McClurgSenior Pastor, Findlay First Church of the Nazarene Archives
March 2020
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