Showing posts with label choices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choices. Show all posts

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Perfect Satisfaction (because we all seek to be satisfied)


Every life is a testament, not only
of how much God loves us,
but of how much we love Him!

Photo:  Yesterday's Bake-Apple Crumble Tarts and Scottish Coconut and Jam Tarts
Today's bake (plan): Butter tarts!


I am currently working at a 'tart buffet' as part of a meal
next Wednesday evening 
for all our youth, junior youth and kid's zone ministry leaders at church; approx. 50!
Isn't it a wonderful blessing to be able to serve those who serve others
with a delicious 'encouragement/appreciation' meal once a month?!

BTW!! this was not my initial reaction of 'love'! (insert blush)
My first thought, I am ashamed to say was 'why? all this work/fuss etc.
 when they could all grab a bite before their meeting?!!
It would be SO much easier...
There are so many things faulty with the above attitude😓
hence, the need for confession.
Then to top it off,  I was thoroughly convicted by a conversation from/with
 an ancient Brother Lawrence from the 1600's!


I ordered this little book to tag on a few dollars 
so I would qualify for free shipping!
I am only on the second conversation and have been utterly
encouraged and convicted/corrected in my often carnal tendencies...




We all seek to be satisfied
The world, a big buffet
Of tempting fruit cajoling pride
With ‘did God really say?’

So much to see and touch and taste
What vast fields Choice deploys
Soon yielding either worth or waste
In Want’s pursuit of joys

What fickle ventures we afford
What futile wish and whim
We chase, until we love the Lord
And yield our hearts/lives to Him

Then, come what may, bitter or sweet
When love for God prevails
We find a life of joy complete
Because love never fails

We all seek to be satisfied
God’s grace, a grand buffet
Of hope the world cannot provide
Or ever take away

The more we love the Lord, the less
We want of lesser things
As we embrace/enjoy the happiness
Only loving God brings

© Janet Martin

1 Thessalonians 3:12
And may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow
 with love for one another and for everyone else, 
just as our love for you overflows,

Philippians 1:9
And this is my prayer: 
that your love may abound more and more
 in knowledge and depth of insight,


Last night as our youngest daughter's little
'blue bug' puttered away I prayed a special blessing on her and all the
fellow-workers who serve/minister to our precious youth!

We are obligated to thank God for you all the time,
 brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, 
and your love for one another is increasing.


1 Thessalonians 4:1
Finally, brothers, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus 
to live in a way that is pleasing to God,
 just as you have received from us. 
This is how you already live, 
so you should do so all the more.

Saturday, February 24, 2024

For Today's Roses (still taking shape)


Some days life is a lovely maze of roses and butterflies.
And some days are more like thorn pricks and bee stings.
No matter what kind of day we are having,
only we are responsible for how we reply...

(Yes! This sunny stretch is turning my thoughts gardenward😀💖)

Wishing you a rose-giddy weekend!



Dawn unfolds like a butterfly alighting on earth’s supine pose
Once more courage and faith ally, to try the bud that holds the rose
Where, dust of trust pulses with dreams and wholesome opportunity
Where, though circumstance sets the scene, reply is up to you and me

Where we are always young enough to do the good we ought, to pray
To take and make the most of love before life’s flower falls away
And speak the kind and gentle word and live to give rather than get
And keep our focus undeterred, on Due Season not rendered yet

Then, not grow weary in the good we ought to do, ere reaping starts
And, when love is misunderstood, to answer with forgiving hearts
Then we will never lack for joy, but always find fresh ways to gape
At buds beginning to deploy today’s roses still taking shape

© Janet Martin

Gal.6:9
And let us not grow weary while doing good,
 for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.


Yesterday was pleasant on the southside deck...


Today temps have plummeted to more seasonal settings


Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Of Payoffs In Waiting (or Something About a Gaping Grave)


Yesterday my dad's oldest brother (and Wayne's father) was laid to rest.
He is an uncle fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews
 for his good-natured, uncomplaining and optimistic outlook
 though his life had many hardships!
We cousins are in a stage where funerals have become our meeting place
and with these gatherings comes the solemn reminder
our childhood playmates are not children anymore,
all of us under the influence of Time's unflinching touch 
and we are reminded of this truth;
that death can come to the young
but it will come to the old
and the realization is dawning that our generation
 is on the heels of the one we are, 
one by one, laying to rest!
A ripe old age turns to mist
 in death's twinkling of an eye!
So then, as we turn again 
to shoulder our yokes of scarred delight
pray we do not lose sight 
of the only payoff that counts
when, for all 'momentary mountains/afflictions, 
the eternal payoff is unveiled!

Therefore we do not lose heart.
 Though our outer self is wasting away, 
yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.
 17For our light and momentary affliction is producing 
for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. 
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Just beyond what we can see ...

(No matter how bitter/sweet)
lies Payoff's Eternity...

Below, a bit of 'sweet'.
This dog can be sassy and silly one minute
and sound asleep at my feet the next!!😂




Though the payoff of push and shove
Through ups and downs of life and love
May appear, to the sphere of sight
Like a showcase of scarred delight
While grappling with the yoke of truth
By fresh parades of fading youth

And though the payoff may seem small
For prayers that rise and tears that fall
Where today holds no guarantees
That Circumstance will aim to please
The Hierarchy of Hope and Dream
We nurture with fondest esteem

…and though the payoff drags its feet
Where hold and letting go compete
Something about a gaping grave
When mourners meet, its scene to brave
Reminds us with sobriety
Of a payoff we cannot see

The payoff for man’s hope and hurt
Is not a fresh-turned mound of dirt
Is not a final farewell tear
Is not the boon of now and here
Oh no! Death is the turn of key
Where push and shove/life and love’s payoff will be

So then, before it is too late
Pray we would reevaluate
The quests and payments we applaud
And rest our confidence in God
Who will, for all eternity
Unveil what the payoff will be

© Janet Martin

We sang two of my favourite hymns yesterday









Monday, January 22, 2024

What/Who We Need Most...(To Get From Here to There)




A stunning sunrise to kick off a new week to...who knows what?!!



For football fans, the countdown to who will make it to the 2024 super bowl is on!

Golfers have been delighting fans with some history-making highlights!

Did you happen to see any of winner, Steve Alkers amazing shots this past Friday and Saturday

Last week the winner of the Sony open was Grayson Murray!



He has been open about the demons he battles in his personal life, 
which affected and impeded his game! 
When asked what the difference is in his life now, he answered immediately that
his fiancée, but above that, Jesus Christ has made the difference!

For, no matter how sweet the kick, the toss, the shot, the triumph
it will never be enough to satisfy our need. Thrills soon fade...

1 John 2:15-16
Do not love the world or anything in the world.
 If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, 
the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—
is not from the Father but from the world. 
17The world is passing away, along with its desires; 
but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Matthew 16:26
What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? 
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
***

We need more than this world’s finesse, to get from here to There
We need more than man’s promises, on which to cast our care
Where, though we need each other to cheer us along the way
To help us as we weather ups and downs from day to day
Our kindest word or dearest deed are inept on their own
To satisfy the need this world cannot fill or atone

We need Jesus, nobody else can save us from our sins
Or help us into heaven when eternity begins
Or hear our prayers or see into our heart of hearts to know
The truth without excuse, idols He longs to overthrow
The spirit, oh, so willing, and the flesh, weak as can be
Without His Spirit instilling, ‘not I, but Christ in me

We need more than this world can boast of season-severed strings
No matter what success we toast, these are all fleeting things
The love of family and friends, as precious as they are
Will never be enough to rend and fling Heav’n’s gates ajar
We need Jesus; His Name is Wonderful, Mighty to save
He fits us for the flight that thunders through the lifeless grave

When all is said and done; the gap that gaped twixt here and There
Dissolved; when we have run the final lap of worldly care
We need more than this world can give; the whole world not enough
To take the place of ‘Look and live’; God’s gift of grace and love
Is Jesus; we all need Him; Savior, Shepherd, Father, Friend
For this world’s greatest favor is but vapor in the end

© Janet Martin






Friday, November 10, 2023

At Life's Smorgasbord of Choices...

 

Life is not a big empty table like this one...


...before the guests arrived each with a freshly-baked delectable delight!


...turning the empty table into a smorgasbord of choices! 


Yesterday I was honored to host my mother's annual birthday tea.
All of her daughter's and daughter-in-laws are the annual guests;
this birthday tradition a long-standing, treasured highlight for all! 
Happy 81st birthday, dear Mother!



I am so thankful when weighing choices and responses/responsibilities
 that so many times without thinking I resort to 'what would mom do/say?'
And I know one of the answers was, is and will always be 'pray!' 

At life’s smorgasbord of choices
Desire is often tried
Where a host of friendly voices
Can make it hard to decide
Which to taste and which to turn from
Which to take and what to leave
For this is no feckless ho-hum
That our choices will achieve

…where each life is like a courtship
Between mortal and his/her Lord/lord
Exposing, through choice, true worship
Which in turn earns just reward
For, life’s smorgasbord of choices
When we listen, seems to be
Like a smorgasbord of voices
All shouting ‘pick me, pick me!’

Oho, there is no evasion
All are subject to reply
And we do; Delight’s elation
Is eager to satisfy
At life’s smorgasbord of choices
Replenished with each new day
Thus, because of all the voices
Wouldn’t it be wise to pray?

Pray for prudence and discretion
For hearts of humility
Where choice triggers a succession
Of choice-cruciality
Then, before we touch or savor
Today’s options, we should weigh
Their merit against God’s favor
And ask Him to lead the way

© Janet Martin

Phil.4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, 
whatever is noble, 
whatever is right, 
whatever is pure, 
whatever is lovely, 
whatever is admirable—
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.

Now! on a more mundane note I must choose between
doing up some apples to applesauce
or
apple pie-filling
or
Clean and bag more potatoes
or sort through those I have bagged
because they are very rot-prone this year
due to all the rain we had.

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Not Here or There or That or This






Sometimes I spend a lot of misdirected
though well-intended energy on trying to
find God's purpose for me
when, as today's devotion reminded me,
all He wants is my surrendered willingness.



This was such a comfort to me as I try to decide 
whether to get back into childcare again or not!
I am having such a hard time trying to figure out what is best...
but whether I do or do not, has nothing to do with his purpose for me,
  if the object of my devotion each day is Him!
If my attitude is 
'Behold the handmaid of the Lord;
 be it unto me according to thy word'
Luke 1:38
(Is that verse not a challenge easier said/read than done?!!)

 Not the choice but the motive behind the choice
 reveals the voice I am listening to!
A sobering scale on which to weigh/pray each decision and desire,
because financial security and creature comforts
 are not God's purpose, 
(though, oh, how human nature wishes it would be!!)
but rather treasure of eternal value...unglamorous in the gaining!

John 3:17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, 
but to save the world through Him.

John 6:28-29
Then they inquired, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"
Jesus replied, "The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent."

2 Pet.3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.
 Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
 but everyone to come to repentance.

***

Not whether we go here or there or work at this or that
The purpose of God’s call will follow where we hang our hat
His focus not the title of the duty or the task
But of a heart surrendered to whatever He will ask

Not in lofty ambition or pursuit of noble quest
But in humble contrition to obey without protest
The medium of labor but the scaffolding whereby
The love for God and neighbor stirs/spurs the tenure of reply

The purpose of God is not there or here or that or this
His purpose always begins where the mark is hard to miss
Right here and now, with you and me, however vague or dim
His purpose is fulfilled as we relinquish all for Him

© Janet Martin

The Rich Young Man- Matt.19:16-28

16Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired,
 “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”
17“Why do you ask Me about what is good?”e Jesus replied.
 “There is only One who is good. 
If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
18“Which ones?” the man asked.
Jesus answered, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, 
do not steal, do not bear false witness, 
19honor your father and mother, 
and love your neighbor as yourself.’f
20“All these I have kept,” said the young man. “What do I still lack?”
21Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven. 
Then come, follow Me.”
22When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, 
because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you,
it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
  24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
 than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 
“Who then can be saved?”
26Jesus looked at them and said, 
“With man this is impossible, 
but with God all things are possible.”
27“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. 
What then will there be for us?”
28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things,
g when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, 
you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones,
 judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 
29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife
h or children or fields for the sake of My name 
will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
  30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.




Friday, July 14, 2023

For Every Choice We Make...


 order your copy by clicking this link

Many of us who know him, have the privilege of watching/walking beside/praying for
 this dear man, Richard Haverkamp, (author of the above book)
caring for his beloved wife, who suffers from dementia, 
and is now in a long-term care facility, but he still spends most of every day with her
and is finding beneath this heavy load, The God who is (still) real!!
He has chosen to be faithful for better or worse, 
for rich or poor, 
in sickness and in health
till doth doth part! 
He is proving to her that loves her with all his heart!
Please pray for his strength and encouragement!
It makes me re-evaluate my choices;
how they reflect who I most love! 
Do I honor God by loving those well that He has placed in my life?
With every choice there is a 'consequence/recompense'.
May we strive to be conscientious as we speak
through the voice of choice!
For we either honor God with our choices, or dishonor Him! 

For every choice we make there is a sacred price to pay
For better or for worse we bless or curse the gifted day
With thought and word and deed we heed or disregard the Hand
That stays the stars and splays the bars of dawn by His command

The sacred voice of choice reveals the heart of you and I
It proves who we love most without word-clout to clarify/justify
For better or for worse we bless or curse the Hand that grants
Goodness and mercy for each reason-seasoned circumstance

The winding Path of Aftermath runs through our do-and-say
For every choice we make there is a sacred price to pay
How often we forget, as we are met with ‘me or Thee/thee’
For every choice we make love takes responsibility

© Janet Martin

Romans 14:11-13

For it is written:
“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us not judge one another [d]anymore,
 but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block 
or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

Monday, July 10, 2023

Someday, Dearly Beloved


Thursday, Friday and Saturday were spent scrubbing and painting
the house our son bought and moved into on Saturday.
At first, the key he gave me, no matter how hard I tried did not work.
I was on my way back home when he called again and said, 'try the back door.
It's got to work in one of the doors!!'
 It did. In the back door...the first time I tried for some reason it didn't.


Then, finally the deadbolt gave way and I stepped over the threshold...
into his house. ..
where the first order of business was to cover the pinky-red paint in the kitchen! 


The key episode evoked a picture 
of a deadbolt in all of us 
that with our last breath will release
as we step through a door,
 over a threshold...
into eternity!
Our first 'order of business' will be meeting our Creator 
who loved us so much He gave His only begotten Son
to pay our way into Heaven, to break sin's curse through
Salvation through Jesus is the only key that will unlock Heaven's Door!
Do you believe this?
Are you ready if the inner deadbolt releases today?

John 10:1-10
Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, 
I am the door of the sheep. 
8 All who ever came [a]before Me are thieves and robbers,
 but the sheep did not hear them. 
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, 
and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
 I have come that they may have life, 
and that they may have it more abundantly.

***
Someday, dearly beloved, the chimes of Time will cease
Its clime of hope and grace will fall like a leaf from a tree
The deadbolt that holds earth’s exodus at bay will release
As the soul sheds its cloak of dust for all eternity

What serious business this; the trek from here to There
What sacred undertaking is the living of today
Far more than what we eat and where we go and what we wear
But rather who we fear and worship, honour and obey

Someday, dearly beloved, the fight of faith will end
And nothing will take precedence before the throne of He
Who on the clouds of heaven in great glory will descend
And the whole world will mourn as we behold His majesty

No shadow of a doubt survives His countenance
The Word from the beginning, through whom everything was made
Will still the chimes of Time; only the gift salvation grants
Will conquer death and hell; eternal life is no charade

Heaven or hell, no in-between, hangs in the balance, oh
Someday, dearly beloved, Choice will receive its just reward
Of either everlasting joy or everlasting woe

Someday, dearly beloved, Today will disappear
  And all that matters then are riches money cannot buy 
The wealth of this world, fickle, like the trickle of a tear 
 Just things that thieves break in and steal, and greed's slaves justify 

Someday, dearly beloved, the chimes of Time will cease
Its clime of hope and grace will fall like a leaf from a tree
The deadbolt that held earth’s exodus at bay will release
As the soul sheds its cloak of dust for all eternity

© Janet Martin

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Beholding Mercy

Sunrise; such a majestic metaphor, for God's mercy
new each morning!


Braving a raw heart-cry today for all who have
not yet 'come to the knowledge of the truth'

1 Tim.2:1-6
A Call to Prayer
1First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving 
be offered for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority—
so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives 
in all godliness and dignity.
  3This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
  4who wants everyone to be saved
 and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
5For there is one God, and there is one mediator 
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 
6who gave Himself as a ransom for all—

Behold the mercy from the Hand
That unfolds from night, morning
Love’s scepter stretched across the land
Extends life’s brief adorning
Where Death has not yet tolled the bell
That draws the soul from mortal shell
Consider then, the woes of hell
And heed salvation’s warning

Bow Thou beneath the cross of Christ
Pray, do not thy heart harden
Believe on He who sacrificed
His Son for our pardon
Repent today and do not wait
Lest alas, you believe too late
For grace cannot undo the Gate/Fate
Sealed by death’s holy guerdon

Behold the cross; behold God’s son
Behold redemption, meted
Where death that comes to everyone
By One Death was defeated
Behold and then consider well
The cost of both heaven and hell
Pray, do not mock the flood that fell
As God’s grace interceded

Behold the mercy from the Hand
Where nail-scars shape love’s token
Of suffering love’s stark demand
So sin’s curse could be broken
Behold and do not turn away
But call upon His name today
Consider well the woes of they
Who leave remorse unspoken

Behold and thwart doubt with belief
Come, join all who adore Him
Who bore the cross and sin's gross grief
For joy still set before Him
Will you reject deliverance
Wrought through a Saviour's innocence 
Consider well, the consequence
If you choose to ignore Him

© Janet Martin

Does this song not make you weep for joy??!

 

Jude 17-24
But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
  18They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers
 who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 
19These are the people who divide you, 
who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up 
in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 
21keep yourselves in God’s love 
as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
 to bring you to eternal life.
22Be merciful to those who doubt;
  23save others by snatching them from the fire;
 to others show mercy, mixed with fear—
hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. f

Doxology
24To him who is able to keep you from stumbling 
and to present you before his glorious presence 
without fault and with great joy— 
25to the only God our Savior 
be glory, majesty, power and authority,
 through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
before all ages, now and forevermore! 
Amen.





Monday, March 13, 2023

The Terminal Temporal


Rom.3:23
For the wages of sin is death, 
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rom.6:1
What shall we say then? 
Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
  2Certainly not! 
How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

A solemn tone to today's train of think-ink...
It is impossible to repent and continue living in sin!
As humans we all sin, yes, 
but that is not the same as living in sin.

 For every tree is known by its own fruit...
Luke 6:44

Jesus didn't die to save us so we could continue living in sin.
Jesus came to earth to die and rise again,

Truth is not altered by our denial of its facts;
Truth IS!
Truth is its own Absolute! Hallelujah!
(That's what makes Him/it trustworthy)

Today's solemn splendor spilled 
in a temporary tracery of white!






Today in solemn splendor spills from He, worthy of all our praise
This is no flippant grant He wills to fulfill mortal’s numbered days
Sovereign God lends the lease that bends with choice wedded with consequence
The bedrock of His Truth transcends time’s brief exploits of Preference
As through The Temporal we pass like lightning in an hourglass

Today, in gracious grandeur gleams like a pendent of hope and grace
With faithful fervor Mercy streams from Holy God to human race
Battlegrounds of hunger and thirst weather war-cries of pride and lust
While the deathless soul is immersed in apparel of dust-to-dust
And Temporal we behold will soon melt like mist upon a hill

Today, in precious promise pours from a Presence that is not moved
Though, by and large the world ignores Him; this by bold disregard proved
Where His Word is not hidden in the heart so that we do not err
Where conscience is not stricken by sin that entered in unaware
While The Temporal lulls asleep those who no earnest vigil keep

Today, in kind compassion brims from He who, oft misunderstood
Abides, worthy of worship’s hymns for He is trustworthy and good
And never makes mistakes; He takes the broken pieces we release
And from repentance He reshapes dashed shards into a masterpiece
And tunes us to the Temporal, that, tick by tock unveils the Whole

Today in solemn splendor spills and refills smorgasbords with Choice
A free-for-all that soon reveals whether we heed that Still, Small Voice 
This is no flippant grant God wills to the Soul's temporary cape
It is a gift; a gift that drills us with temptation and Escape
Before the Temporal gives way to never-ending night or day 

© Janet Martin

2 Cor.4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,
 since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.


“But of that day and hour no one knows,
 not even the angels in heaven,
 nor the Son, but only the Father. 
 Take heed, watch and pray; 
for you do not know when the time is. 
 It is like a man going to a far country, 
who left his house and gave authority
 to his servants, and to each his work, 
and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. 
 Watch therefore, for you do not know 
when the master of the house is coming—
in the evening, 
at midnight, 
at the crowing of the rooster, 
or in the morning— 
 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. 
 And what I say to you, I say to all: 
Watch!”

Mark 13:32-37