This old hymn uses lovely imagery to describe a close walk with our living Lord. Please give it a sing-along listen and come back for a chat on kindness and on practicing the presence of God.
“♫♪ How kind … ♫♪”
Kindness gets excellent press in the Bible. First, look at the difference the Lord’s kindness has made — and will make — to us:
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
[Titus 3:4-7 BSB]
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
[Ephesians 2:6,7 BSB]
Then — about us being kind — Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
[Ephesians 4:32 BSB]
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, ….
[Galatians 5:22a BSB]
Kindness is not always easy for us. We find it is not always returned. In that “fruit of the spirit” section of Galatians 5, “kindness” is the Greek word chrestos, and can mean “softening of something that was once harsh”. It can show up in us when we are merciful to others, when we intentionally do thoughtful deeds for others, even if we don’t think they deserve it. This is easier if we will learn — and remember — the many kindnesses we have received from the Lord.
May the Lord help soften our hearts, calm our responses, and activate this fruit of the spirit in our thoughts, words and actions. Amen.
“♫♪ A stream of heavenly water … ♫♪”
Ephesians 5:18b “…be filled with the spirit” … As I understand it, in the original Greek, these words actually mean “be continually filled with the spirit”. That is wonderful!
We might read this verse and picture a bucket filled to the brim — but that’s not it.
Instead picture a water pipe coming from a spring and endlessly pouring good, fresh water into the basin of a fountain, so it is always full and always overflowing.
How can we do that? We get a clue from Jeremiah: “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
The Lord is the fountain of living waters. Let’s watch out for those two evils! If we want to be continually filled with the spirit, we will embrace the Lord and His ways of thinking and doing. People are not going to come up with a better plan than the Lord’s. That was the case in Jeremiah’s time, and it’s still true today. Rejoice!
“♫♪ Everlasting fountains of love ♫♪”
On Mars Hill, while teaching them who their “unknown god” was, Paul said, “God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”
Our song offers a similar idea, only stated from the view of a person who has already experienced what Paul taught all those years ago: “I never shall be weary of life while that stream runs close to my door …”
The Lord has promised us a glorious future, and the thought of that gives us energy. Of course all the glory is not reserved for some distant time in the future. This very day, while we walk on the path of being forever with the Lord, we can practice His presence. Here are some of the ways of doing that:
Pray:
Make prayer — in the spirit and with your understanding — a regular part of your day.
Read scripture:
Meditate on God’s word and reflect on what it means.
Worship:
Praise God for who He is and put aside your worries.
Be kind:
Show love and kindness to others.
Obey God:
Follow God’s commands and do what He asks of you.
Be aware:
Be conscious of God’s presence and commune with Him throughout the day.
Live in the present:
Ask God to help you focus on the present moment and to focus on one thing at a time.
How wonderful our days can be when we bear in mind what Paul taught — “He is not far from each one of us.” I find it is true that peace, strength and joy can blossom when I remember He’s close to my door.
God bless you lots
-Dale R.
LYRICS: Close To My Door
Text: Laura Sanford (1893)
Tune: Andreas Romberg (1767-1821)
1 How kind is my heavenly Father!
He touches my heart every day
With sweetness of love He has for me,
A love I can never repay.
2 A stream of the heavenly water
Goes singing along by my door;
I fill there my cup every morning—
At evening I linger for more.
3 I never shall be weary of life
While that stream runs close to my door,
And sings of the everlasting fountains
Of love that my Lord has in store.
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Share your wisdom with other readers ...
Please feel free to add your thoughts to this conversation. Scroll to the bottom of the page and jot your note in the “comments” box just below the “Leave a reply” title. Easy!
Hi Dale,
Really great guitar licks and a sweet, sweet song! You are an amazing resource of uplifting gospel tunes. Thank you so much for your faithfulness in sending them out each week.
Please keep them coming………Blessings to you!!!
Dan, thanks for your note! I quipped to a friend that this simple song got more difficult as I tried to figure out a way to play it. I wanted to write about the Lord being a fountain of living waters and found this hymn during that search. I find a lot of hymns from the mid-late 1800’s — which time frame fits here — can be a bit “romantic” in images and tone. This one reflects some of that, but it does so more to teach about the Lord than to express the writer’s feelings. I value songs that help with the teaching, and, so, was happy to find this one. Thanks for your note and kind words! God bless you lots –D.
Love this one! Never have heard it before. Thanks Dale!
Patty, Thanks for your kind words. I was looking for a hymn about the Lord being the fountain of living waters and found this on Hymnary.org. It was an odd listing because they showed one instance of this song from an old hymn book, but the melody they offered for download was different from the melody on that printed hymn page. For this post I ran with the downloaded melody instead of the printed melody. I’m guessing the printed hymn version is “correct” and the download version was something akin to a typo … but I liked the “typo” melody. I think it made the phrasing a bit awkward, nevertheless I liked the way it sounded a bit better, so here it is. It is not a ribald, powerful sounding hymn … certainly not the way I managed to sing it … but I’m pleased to add it to this collection and hope the recording I offer here blesses and does no harm. Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment. Wishing you God’s best — Dale R.