Learning From Fanny Crosby

Excerpt taken from 'Fanny Crosby : Her Story Her Song' on the Revive Our Hearts - True Woman- blog

What Can We Learn from Fanny?

Fanny never saw her blindness as a slight from God. Instead, she openly thanked Him for the ways her visual impairment opened doors for her to serve Him in ways she felt she otherwise couldn't have. She hadn't set out to become a prolific hymn writer; she simply wanted an education so she might be "useful." God took her offering and used it for the edification of His church body.

Fanny's ability to think of herself as a capable servant allowed her to excel in the strengths God had given her, never being held back by self-pity. Fanny followed God's lead, humbly stewarded her God-given talents, and walked through each open door of opportunity with joy in her heart. Her life is a true example of walking by faith and not by sight.

How might we serve the Lord more passionately and effectively if we focused on utilizing our gifts, rather than hiding behind our limitations? Whether our hindrances are physical or emotional barriers, real or self-inflicted ones, we must recognize God's sovereignty in our situations and know that we were "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand" (Eph. 2:10). Our Father loves us and wants to use us for the work of His kingdom, despite our limitations. Like Fanny, we must learn to trust Him and let our lives of worship and service become a sweet echo of her famous lyrics:

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Padkos - February 2016

How to Have Intimacy With God  - Jon Bloom " God wants intimacy with you. Christ has done all the hard work in the cross to make it possible. All he requires is that you believe in him (John 14:1). He wants you to trust him with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5).

Which means his invitation to you to enjoy intimacy with him is the providences in your life that are testing your faith more than anything else. What you must trust God most for right now is where he means for you to draw closer to him."

John Calvin's 4 Rules of Prayer

5 Things You Can Give God Each Day

3 Ways Our Culture Differs From Every Other Culture in History

A Plea to The Mission Minded - Jen Wilkin

The Seditious Sin of Grumbling (Part 1) - Clint Archer

Online Resources for Biblical Exegesis

Women Crying Over Diagrammed Sentences (audio links to workshop)

The Razor's Edge - RC Sproul. Ethics and Morality (video)

Love The Life You Never Wanted -  "therefore, fullness of life is ultimately found not in any earthly success or relationship or accomplishment, but in your proximity to God through faith."

20 Qualities of Good Listeners

10 Sure Signs We've Lost Our Minds

Discipleship in Jesus' Style 

Hillary, Bernie, Donald and Me - John Piper and retirement

Why You Can't See Your Biggest Flaws - Timothy Keller

Padkos - January 2016

The Hyper-Examined Life Isn’t Worth Living
God’s Wonderful Plan For Your Life
I Am Going to Write - Trevin Wax

Nine Questions to Help You Steward All of Your Life for God’s Glory

3 Questions To Ask Before Listening To Any Sermon
A Place To Start For Spiritually Stuck People
Puritan (and other) Books to Read Online
J I Packer’s Puritan Library For Online Reading
How To Be Spiritually Miserable
God’s Sovereignty Over My Free Will – John Piper
Chesterton and 4 Arguments – Trevin Wax

8 Ways to Grow in The Fear of God

The Consequences of Neglecting Prayer - David Wilkerson
“In those times, my prayer life consisted only of meditation and quiet times. I had no effectual fervency in prayer. Why? Because the cares of life robbed me of my time with the Lord.
So, what happened to me in those times? Servanthood turned to self-pity. Ministry seemed like a burden, not a blessing. And misery upon misery flooded my soul.
I battled loneliness, weariness, unbelief, a troubling sense of having accomplished little in life, even thoughts of quitting the ministry. And the blessings of God were hindered. My relationships soured, I lost discernment, and fresh revelations of Christ no longer came.”

From Challis.com