“When everything we receive from him is received and prized as fruit and pledge of his covenant love, then his bounties, instead of being set up as rivals and idols to draw our heart from him, awaken us to fresh exercises of gratitude and furnish us with fresh motives of cheerful obedience every hour.”
… John Newton (1725-1807)

Wow. I’m not sure that I ever heard a sentence quite like Newton’s in terms of thinking of “His bounties.” The key words seem to be “draw our heart from Him” because anything can do that… not just money and not just bounties. I think of the rich man who would not give away his money. And yet at the same time I think of Job, who lost so much but lost not his obedience.

Could you imagine your passion if each day you woke up with a fresh motive of service to God? It should be like that, even the same motice, feeling fresh with the  new day. It isn’t like that for me, but it should be. Each day may I wake up with an enthusiam to find the beauty God has created–and to share the bounties that He has given me, so that others may find His beauty through what I have to share. May I also realize that His love for me is always abundant, as is my strength in Him.