Showing posts with label Dr. Charles Stanley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dr. Charles Stanley. Show all posts

Saturday, January 20, 2024

For This Unprecedented Age...

For this unprecedented age of immorality; 
 of abortion, adultery, homosexuality, 
transgenderism, mass confusion, child neglect and abuse, 
agnosticism, atheism, theism and paganism 
on and on it goes; 
there is only one cure! 
Repentance and belief in the One True God! 

Then as belief yields fruits of repentance/obedience 
to Him through His Word, only then can any real cure begin!
In this age of unprecedented distraction
esp. through the buffet of options offered through modern technology,
God's still, small Voice can be drowned out
until it goes away...!!!🙏🙏
Without careful, prayerful awareness we are all at the risk
of drowning the quietness with just enough noise
to keep us from thinking too deeply/aka, hearing God speak!

(I use the phrase 'unprecedented' cautiously but also with awareness
to the reality that due to modern technology
 and approval by the powers that be, access to
certain atrocities has become medically promoted/commonplace
like never before!)

Thus, thanks in part to modern technology
we are living in an age of unprecedented opportunity and opposition!

The cure for the problem is what it has always been...
2 Chron.7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves
 and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,
 then I will hear from heaven,
 and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

The page below read a few days ago,(from the book mentioned here and here)
first sparked this poem from a train of thought that has been
ongoing recently..
.(and this book was written in the '60's!!
The line that esp. hits home is this one;
'and they will be tomorrow's leaders')


And also in part by yesterday's devotion
from Pathways to His Presence by Charles Stanley



For this unprecedented age
Where, at epidemical rates
Mortal rejects its Creator
And fundaments of Truth, debates
Or altogether disregards
What once was reverenced, with awe
Choosing darkness, rather than light
Without godly order or law…

For this unprecedented age
Of lack of fear and faith in He
Who is the Saviour of the soul
The sole hope of humanity
Where churches, once ringing with praise
And sounds of glorious gospel truth
Have been abandoned for the gasp
Of worldly pleasure and pursuit

For this unprecedented age
Of pride going before the fall
As nations, founded on God’s Word
Promote abandoning it all
To be gods, wise in their own eyes
But are in fact, blind leading blind
Where deceit, like a gaping pit
Swallows the unbelieving mind

For this unprecedented age
Of impropriety endorsed
And applauded by worldly-wise
Without guilt and shame, or remorse
For this unprecedented age
Of wolves wearing sheep-like disguise
Soothing, smoothing the inner prick
With unbiblical, sweet, sweet lies

For this unprecedented age
Of unbelief, we pray and pray
We, who with faith and fear believe
In the approach of That Great Day
Oh Lord, we pray and pray that ‘they’
Would repent and believe in You
And that we who believe would be
A vessel that your Light shines through

© Janet Martin

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, 
we do not lose heart. 
2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; 
we do not use deception,
 nor do we distort the word of God.
 On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly 
we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
 3 And even if our gospel is veiled,
 it is veiled to those who are perishing.
 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,
 so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, 
who is the image of God. 
5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, 
and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a
made his light shine in our hearts
 to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory 
displayed in the face of Christ.





Thursday, July 6, 2023

Fear Versus Love...or, both?!!

When raising children we sometimes refer to the term 'healthy fear'
aka respect for mom and dad's expectations and rules!!
Sometimes dire consequence for disobedience are needed to refresh
'healthy fear'!
 this pleasant moment below was followed up a few hours later by a text...
'please pray for me'
as she grappled with challenges of mothering and disciplining...

 

How often our Heavenly Father also parents/disciplines His children
as we learn to listen/obey...


Today's poem touches on
an inexhaustible topic, 'the fear of the Lord, no fear in love, fear not...'
summed up in one verse...

Eccles. 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments:
for this is the whole duty of man.

Job 28:20
“From where then does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?

And He said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord,
that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"

***
Where is true wisdom Lord,
And righteousness and peace?
How can we know the way to go?
Where does blessing increase?

And where does love begin?
And how is it defined?
How can we purge want’s tainted urge
From heart and soul and mind?

…to seek the things we ought
Ah, where do we begin?
To walk the way we ought, today
Equipped to withstand sin

Oh Lord, forgive my sin
Your kind mercy renew
Open faith’s eyes to recognize
The holiness of You

Then Lord, increase my fear
So blessing may increase
The blessing of goodness and love
And righteousness and peace

Through humble reverence
Refine devotion’s claim
So we may shine with light divine
To glorify Thy name

To know the difference
Twixt fear of God and man
And to pursue with purpose true
The Master of love’s plan

© Janet Martin




"when you turn your back on God you're turning your back on your only hope,
the One who loves you, cares for you and wants the best for you, but
He will not make you follow Him, 
not make you love Him, 
not make you obey Him..."
Excerpt from above message

Below, a-skimming-the-surface of scriptures on the fearing/loving God...

Deut.13:4
You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him,
and keep His commandments and obey His voice;
you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.


Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD and turn away from evil.


To fear the LORD is to hate evil;
I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.


In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life
, to depart from the snares of death.


By mercy and truth iniquity is purged:
and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.


As a father pities (has compassion on) his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Ps.103:13


But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
Ps.103:17


The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;
the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous.
Psalm 19:9


The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Psalm 34:7


The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Prov.9:10


The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding.


His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.


Luke 23:40
But the other criminal rebuked him.
“Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?


Lu 12:5
But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear:
Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell;
yea, I say unto you, Fear him.


Ac 9:31
Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria,
and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord,
and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.


2Co 5:11
Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men,
but we are made manifest to God;
and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.


Eph 5:21
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
His praise endures forever!

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.


Mal.3:16
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another,
And the LORD listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the LORD
And who meditate on His name.






Thursday, May 11, 2023

This Little Flicker of a Tree

 



Sometimes dread tries to drive a wedge between joy and hope’s promises
Sometimes it tries to trump the pledge of mercy’s renewed faithfulness
Or darken the doorway of dawn with doubt and fear for the unknown
Until I hear the voice of One who whispers ‘You are not alone’

Sometimes the weight of creature care could rob me of would-be delight
Love’s load in constant need of prayer, life’s road a walk by faith, not sight
Sometimes the winds and waves of love could defeat courage thoroughly
Until I am reminded of ‘no longer I, but Christ in me’

Sometimes a formless enemy hisses and kindles vain debate
This liar tries to threaten me with Logic while God whispers ‘wait
Where sometimes discouragement bends this little flicker of a tree
Until I cry to God who sends angels to minister to me

© Janet Martin




Jer.17:5-8
This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

This cross in the sky felt like a tangible whisper this morning!!


Psalm 147:1
Praise[a] the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

God's Precious Promises- Dr. Charles Stanley





Monday, April 24, 2023

Embarking-On-a-New Day-or-Week Prayer

Aren't you thankful for rich legacies preserved 
either in books or by modern technology?!!
 One of my 'dearest friends' I never met,
(or spoke to, though his messages often spoke to me,)
 passed away last week...


Does this phrase ring tenderly in your ears too, 
as we mourn the precious passing of a faithful Pastor/preacher?
"Obey God, and leave the consequences to Him"
Dr. Charles Stanley~

Below, a touching tribute to Dr. Charles Stanley by In Touch Ministries


Psalm 116:15
Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.

We are not all preachers or pastors but all believers are ministers of God's Word.
This morning's poem is a prayer, that barely skims the surface of my heart's cry,
as I seek to try to do my part to
"Obey God, and leave the consequences to Him"

I'm so thankful for God's Word and for faithful fellow-believers
as we never get too old to learn, 
(often through stumbles and fumbles/mistakes)

Dear Lord, I pray, lead me today in paths of righteousness
And let Thy everlasting way my sole/soul’s objective be
Protect me from promiscuous pitfalls of idleness
But bid humility commit to love and honor Thee

Search me and know my heart, try me, and know each fruit-fraught thought
And see if there be any wicked way in me to purge
Lord, the spirit is willing but the fickle flesh is not
Oh, let Thy law instilling me dissect desire’s urge

Whatever I achieve today (always, but by Thy grace)
Help me obey and leave in Thy kind care the consequence
Help me to trust Thy Word; worldly logic is blind and base
Remind me of the undeterred reply of recompense

Dear Lord, I pray for all who seek to daily follow Thee
Help us to turn the other cheek and not to wrath give way
Vengeance is Thine; Lord Thou art just; beyond the bit we see
Awaits the Prize for all who trust, endure, believe, obey

Dear Lord, as I embark upon this new Today once more
How merciful Thou art; kindle my heart with awe again
Lest I neglect to do the part You created me for
To love Thee first and then my neighbor as myself. Amen

© Janet Martin

Psalm 139:23-24 KJV
Search me, O God, and know my heart: 
Try me, and know my thoughts: 
And see if there be any wicked way in me,
 And lead me in the way everlasting.

(the same prayer in the 'we/us' version)

Dear Lord, we pray, lead us today in paths of righteousness
And let Thy everlasting way our sole/soul’s objective be
Protect us from promiscuous pitfalls of idleness
But bid humility commit to love and honor Thee

Search us and know our hearts, try us, and know each fruit-fraught thought
And see if there be any wicked way in us to purge
Lord, the spirit is willing but the fickle flesh is not
Oh, let Thy law instilling us dissect desire’s urge

Whatever we achieve today (always, but by Thy grace)
Help us obey and leave in thy kind care the consequence
Help us to trust Your Word; worldly logic is blind and base
Remind us of the undeterred reply of recompense

Dear Lord, we pray for all who seek to daily follow Thee
Help us to turn the other cheek and not to wrath give way
Vengeance is Thine; Lord Thou art just; beyond the bit we see
Awaits the Prize for all who trust, endure, believe, obey

Dear Lord, as we embark upon this new Today once more
How merciful Thou art; kindle our hearts with awe again
Lest we neglect to do the part You created us for
To love Thee first and then our neighbor as ourselves. Amen

© Janet Martin

Friday, December 30, 2022

Thoroughfares of Retrospect


Our mind is the control tower of our life~
Charles Stanley

As we look back on another year almost spent
we traverse thoroughfares of retrospect, don't we?!
My, oh my-oh-my!
What a showcase of mistakes and mercies!

Sometimes it appears technology has
reduced attention-spans to tik-tok sized snippets!
How much is lost at great cost!!
Listening to a message like the one below 
means taking the time to turn off distractions
in order to fuel thought with good counsel!
So worth the time it takes!
Will you join the millions and millions who 
have taken the time to listen to this message?


And if life does not allow the freedom right now to listen to the whole of it,
The first two minutes offer SO much to think about, 
until you have time for the remainder!


In retrospect we realize what matters does not change
Where guests that the mind entertains proves who we love the most
And though we cannot keep so much of what the years estrange
We can take careful charge of thought’s dinner-parties we host
And prepare with a wary heart, the table where Thought lolls
Before the hand reveals that part that the mind first cajoles

In retrospect we find what wise and fool's proof  cannot null
Who we love most is soon exposed by time’s tender romance
Who we revere and hold most dear is clearly visible
By what we choose and how we use the blessings that God grants
Where Thought is like a banquet table laden with buffets
Where so much good and so much bad can capture our gaze

In retrospect we see how swift time’s subtle shuttle flies
While tears and laughter spill, while we are often filled with awe
At lifetimes woven with the threads of dawn-to-dusk’s demise/disguise
Where thought is like an evil god if left to its own law
And ignorance is like a noose dangling from gallows where
Time’s subtle shuttles fly while Thought offers Fresh Thought a chair

In retrospect we oft admit we did not do our best
To bid Thought to pay sacred, meeker, and more earnest heed
To what God says rather than what Well-meaning Thoughts suggest
Where holiness, not happiness should be Thought’s primal greed
Because the lot of the undying soul is undeterred
Thus Thought should feed its dinner-guests with counsel from God’s Word

…where Thoroughfares of Retrospect spread out a humbling feast
For Thought is always hungry and the Tempter always near
And we concede at best Thought is a needy, bumbling beast
Subject to err without God’s Word to gird and commandeer
Therefore, no matter what befalls Thought’s menus to arrange
In retrospect we realize what matters does not change

© Janet Martin

 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.


Monday, July 11, 2022

Sometimes, In This Present Culture

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him-
-the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and strength,
the Spirit of knowledge
and fear of the LORD.

(this verse below fills my heart and prayers these day...)
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit f of wisdom and revelation,
 so that you may know him better. 
18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened 
in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, 
the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 
19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 

If we want something to grow we feed it.
What is fed will grow...
Spiritual growth or the hunger for spiritual blessing
happens as we feed on 'spiritual bread'!
John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. 
Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, 
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.



Sometimes in this present culture
We could fall prey to despair
Where evil is like a vulture
And people don't seem to care
Or fall before God in prayer

Present culture's satisfaction
Fosters lies and unbelief
 Numbed by cyberspace-distraction
The god of opinion, chief
Dumb to God in heaven's grief 

Seems as if Spiritual Blessing
Is a treasure few esteem
Focused rather on possessing
Fortunes, fickle as a dream
While eternal riches stream

Seems as if mankind's redemption
 Purchased through God's only Son
Is the bull's eye of rejection
Though He died for everyone
Though He cried 'Thy will be done'

...to bring many sons to glory!
To lay down hope's solid rock
Seems as if God's Great Love story
Has become a laughing stock
Culture hails the stumbling block 

Fearless in the face of Mercy
Fearless, though death and hell wait
Scorning Christ with jeers and curses
Or with doubt's fruitless debate
Fearless in their dire state/strait

Blinded by the tempter's logic
Lured by sight's defeated stride
Seems this present culture's rock is
But the shifting sands of pride
Or the boast of God denied

Seems as if Spiritual Blessing
Is an odd and foreign phrase
Not a treasure worth confessing
And pursuing all our days
By denying self-bent ways  

Seems as if the fickle aweing 
Of excess, not sacrifice
Veils the subtle serpent drawing
The attention from the price
With enticements, 'fun' and 'nice'

Seems as if this present culture
Does not grasp the sacred Thence
Of heaven or hell, of judgement 
And the certain recompense 
Of the soul's inheritance

Seems as if 'riches in glory'
Falls on head-phone deafened ears
And the grace of God's love story
Is met with hate's bold-faced sneers 
Or Indifference-Veneers

As if the best we inherit
Is Something gold-silver-pearled
And as if life's Crowning Merit
Is This Fleeting Warp unfurled
Not riches beyond this world

Sometimes, in this present culture
Love weeps beneath faith's scorned cross
Hell's lord is a gilded vulture
Heaven's God tests us with loss
 And prayer's groaning albatross

God, open Faith's eyes within us
Tune us to truth's cunning foes
You are not slack in Your promise
Of wealth time cannot disclose
Of inheritance You chose

© Janet Martin


Psalm 47:4
He chooses our inheritance for us, 
the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. 
Selah

1 Pet.1:3-5
A Heavenly Inheritance
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope 
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4to an inheritance [b]incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, 
reserved in heaven for you,
  5who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation 
ready to be revealed in the last time.

***
We only progress in sound living
as we progress in sound understanding
Charles Spurgeon~

***

 

...and if after you listen to the first message you are hungry for more...






Thursday, June 23, 2022

God's Fingerprints



Now I see His (God's) fingerprints all over this experience. '
wrote my friend as she looks back on 3 years 
filled with tumultuous tests of searching for God's will 
and waiting on His timing...

It made me think of all of us in the middle of
a finished frame...
Some waiting/hoping to find their one true love
Some who have found and married their one true love
and are weathering the challenges/disappointments
that marriage is bound to bring
and some whose marriages are broken
Couples who would love to be parents but that dream is withheld,
Parents whose wisdom, energy and patience are stretched to the max
by 'dreams' not withheld...

Many of us find ourselves in some kind of 'frame' of waiting.
What good cheer to visualize God's fingerprints
putting what looks to us like broken or forgotten pieces, in perfect place
if we trust, seek and wait on Him...




Sometimes in the middle
Of a broken heart
We can't grasp the goodness 
In God's works of art

In dark disappointment
Of dreams not come true
We can't see the glory
Waiting to shine through

Sometimes in the middle
Of 'Remember When?'
God is gently drawing
Wonder's awed 'amen'

Sometimes colors baffle
Sometimes pages crease
Living in the middle
Of the masterpiece

Sometimes God's kind whisper
Transfigures pied glints
Unveiling a picture
Of His fingerprints

Janet Martin








Thursday, September 30, 2021

Conditional Blessing


Heb.11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, 
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

There are definitely some 'conditions' when it comes to
reaping a harvest of joy...
Love is no sit-back-and-enjoy-the-benefits sport,,
but rather a life of diligent, servant-heart obedience
not to gain/keep our salvation but to say/prove




If we desire God to bless
Our lives with joy’s true happiness
We have a vital part to play
In His reply; we must obey

If we long for His peace to fill
Our hearts though storms and struggles spill
It will, for He is kind and just
His peace will prevail, if we trust

If we want to find we must seek
And learn to turn the other cheek
Not answer blow with counter-blow
But in humility, bow low

If we want to reap joy so sweet
Then Self must first take a back seat
Before faith’s field can yield non-stop
Fruits-of-the-Spirit bumper-crop

His love does not indulge our greed
But will supply our every need
He will not leave us comfortless
If we believe His promises

So, if we ask for God to bless
Our lives with joy and happiness
We have a vital part to play
In His reply; if we obey

© Janet Martin

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, having been justified by faith,
  [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
  2through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, 
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
  3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, 
knowing that tribulation produces [b]perseverance;
  4and perseverance, [c]character; and character, hope.
  5Now hope does not disappoint, 
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts 
by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.


By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him:
 if we keep His commandments.






Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Sucker-Punch Eye-openers (or The Grief of Unbelief)

A message worth the little while it takes to hear it!



This link below is also worth the click:
 Flying Blind- Franklin Graham

Hebrews 10:29
Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose,
will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
 counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, 
and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Sometimes life deals a sucker-punch to our
utter heart and soul and love is grieved beyond words!

Sometimes those sucker-punches turn out to be shocking eye-openers
(and knee-benders and head-bow-ers)

Sometimes it seems to take a sucker-punch to wake/shake us up!

Sometimes we just don't want to believe that 'they' don't believe!!
The practice of disobedience speaks like writing on the wall 
regardless of what 'they' may say.

The Grief of Unbelief
Kinda like part 2 to this morning's post'


They mock the straight and narrow
They scorn the black and white
The spit into the face of grace;
The Way, the Truth and Life

They grieve the Holy Spirit
And trample underfoot
The Son of God; they profane Mercy's
Covenant of blood 

They treat as something common
Salvation's Cornerstone
As if they have no One to fear
Before the Judgement throne 

They do not seem to grasp
Death and hell's hopeless fate
And that dread day of reckoning
When it will be too late

Lord, hear our pleading prayer
Where cold, bold unbelief 
Is like a cruel sucker-punch
That breaks love's heart with grief

How much more You must weep
To know what waits for they
Who once confessed and professed faith
Who knew, then turned away

Janet Martin

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just 
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.


 

The Bedrock of Belief, Or Not



2 Tim.1:12
For this reason I also suffer these things; 
nevertheless I am not ashamed,
 for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able 
to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Matt.7:21 NIV
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Heb.3:18-19
And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest?
Was it not to those who disobeyed?

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: 
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, 
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,
 in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.



Matt 7:7
Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.



The bedrock of Belief, or not
Is the chief Cornerstone of thought
Belief is more than a mere nod
To accede existence of God
Where voice of choice cannot long hide
God either adored or denied

The bedrock of belief or not
Is confirmed by response to Ought
Rebellion or obedience
Prove who we serve and reverence
Either the Name above all names
Or Shame’s shameless and brazen claims

The bedrock of belief or not
Is more than a set of truths taught
These truths become love’s vow fulfilled
Proven by where and how we build
With treasure here or gathered up
Where moth and rust cannot corrupt

The bedrock of belief or not
Is either shifting sand or Rock
Graver than anything can be
For it impacts eternity
And is sacred above all else
For soul outlives this Splash of Self

We ought to give most earnest heed
To I AM’s righteousness decreed
Before Reckoning and Reward
When all confess that He is Lord
As we receive what we begot
On Bedrock of Belief, or not

© Janet Martin


So this is what the Lord GOD says:
 "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, 
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
 the one who believes will never be shaken.

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
 but he that believeth not shall be damned.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
 and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; 
but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Blessed Are We...When

Morning Prayer;
Dear Lord create in us
a holy, awesome dissatisfaction
when we settle for less
Anoint hope's howling hunger
with heaven's hidden attraction
through Your righteousness
Amen




Psalm 32:1
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, 
Whose sin is covered.

Jer.17:7
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, 
And whose hope is the LORD.

Psalm 112:1
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, 
Who delights greatly in His commandments.

Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, 
Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

James 1:12
Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved,
 he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Psalm 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, 
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

Matt. 5:1-12
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: 
and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, 
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: 
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

It's an eye-opener isn't it?!
The conditions hinged to God's promised blessings
so then,
Lord, when we pray for blessing
Make us humbly aware
Of sin that needs confessing
Thy blessing to prepare...





The way of life is riddled with both triumph and defeat 
The hope to which we cling is like a lifeline, bittersweet 
Our darlings of desire and God’s will often conflict 
Because we want His blessing without what hinges to it 

The altar that pleases our Lord is not fashioned of stone 
But is the heart that offers up its cup of skin and bone 
In gratitude to He whose mercy paid sin’s awful debt 
And sacrificed His Son to be the scapegoat in our stead 

He suffered all we ever will, of poverty and pain 
But with his eyes fixed on the Prize He suffered, not in vain 
Because obedience beholds more than the sacrifice 
Love suffers long and it is kind and sees beyond the price 

Some blessings are not hard to see, they burst and beam and brim 
Some come, disguised as ‘why’ to test who will still honour Him 
Lord, remind us, when we ask for your Providence to bless 

© Janet Martin 

He who did not spare His own Son, 
but delivered Him up for us all, 
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:32












Thursday, October 29, 2020

Universal Call/Cross


(can you whole-heartedly and honestly sing the hymn below without reserve?!)
Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite when I sing it.
I tend to get kinda stuck in My Ways😒



Nothing speaks quite so powerfully as a person's choices.
When we watch someone lay all of their own personal desires
on the altar of daily sacrifice to wholly follow Him.
We have a young man with a young family who is about to start fulltime
service at our church after leaving a secure job to answer God's call.
Will you pray for him (Andreas) and his family in this leap  step of faith...
And while you do could you add another man (Gary) and his family to your prayers,
joining our church family in January.
The rebuilding at WBC, around the hole Ron left begins...

Matt. 16:24 
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Luke 9:23
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.


There is a universal call to all who love God’s Son 
Though He has paid the debt for sin the cost has just begun 
For all who follow in His steps must be willing to die 
To the desires of the flesh and their own will deny 

There is a cross not made of wood that we are called to take 
To do the things disciples should for their dear Master’s sake 
Not to adhere to high decrees some prominence to prove 
But to follow where His call leads with no motive/credit but love 

There is a thorough reckoning that someday will come due 
Where reply to His beckoning is more than verbal spew 
Whether we are courageous or remain somewhat aloof 
Our answer spills in pages we fill up with Living Proof 

There is a universal call to repent and believe 
And oh, how very beautiful is Faith’s Gift we receive 
Where, though Redemption’s price is paid and salvation is free 
The cost is still cross-shaped as we respond to ‘follow Me’ 

© Janet Martin