Showing posts with label follower of Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label follower of Jesus. 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.

Friday, February 2, 2024

Nothing But This...

Happy First-Friday-in-February!
F- is for Forgiveness!
***
To hold a grudge is such a heavy weight to carry through the day
Forgiveness frees us from its spite and lets it gently slip away 
Ah, life is much too brief to mar it with the bitter grief of hate
Forgiveness melts its iron bar and flings ajar love's glorious gate 

***
A friend and I decided to bring a splash of 'sunshine'
to February's dreary debut by hitting a few thrift stores
with Extreme Leisure!😂
I found the treasure below to hang in our kitchen dining area
as a gentle reminder of what I/we can quite quickly forget!



Have we nothing but this to bring
To God when shadows fall
To be a gift, fit for a king
Though it may seem so small

Have we nothing but this to prove
The flower from faith’s seed
It is enough. A word of love
A kind and thoughtful deed

Have we nothing to leave behind
When death its due will claim
It is enough, to love, be kind
In Jesus precious Name

Enough to see in every face
The scarred hand-print of He
Who helps us to mirror His grace
With kind humility

Lord, let the Name we utter/cherish most
Because of Calvary
Grant nothing but love's greatest boast
'Not I, but Christ in me'

© Janet Martin

This is (one of) my daily devotionals for this year.


January's 'pathway' focused on God's will

February's pathway focuses on Forgiveness








Wednesday, January 17, 2024

As We Press Toward the Goal

Dawn’s hoists its mast, ahoy, we cast off to another day
Who knows, but our Captain the full of its come-what-may...

Some of my come-what-may suddenly needs to include a grocery run
when a sudden discovery is made that the household
is in short supply of bathroom tissue!
Nothing quite commands our attention like an empty roll😅😂




It's another frigid and blustery 'ahoy' in southern Ontario


 I LOVE this song as regular readers over the years, may guess😅🙏


Life sometimes tests our focus as we press toward the goal
Its Glance of Circumstances sometimes blinds us to the Whole
Where Time is like a Barge, heaped with its charge of creature care
And we are like the crew, appointed to our sacred share
Of doing our part to serve, first God, then fellowman
And not to grumble at the task, but do the best we can
With humble recognition of that Final Port of Call
When we will meet the Captain and give account for it all

Sometimes we become disillusioned by That Which Is Not
And seeds of discontentment may start to sprout in our thought
And sometimes we forget, in the belly of much-to-do
The Captain’s main concern is for the welfare of the crew
And though his methods of correction may vex you and me
He never fails; his love is steadfast as steadfast can be
A hand upon the shoulder and an anchor for the Soul
To fit us for each tumult, as we press toward the goal

Dawn’s hoists its mast, ahoy, we cast off to another day
Who knows, but our Captain the full of its come-what-may
But if we trust His promises and follow His command
He will not let us blow off course or wallow in quicksand
Though sometimes we are puzzled by the strategies He takes
To reel in our focus till the last stubborn hold breaks
Then, as we surrender both want and will to His control
We will be of good courage as we press toward the Goal

© Janet Martin


Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling,
 set your focus on Jesus, 
the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

Lord, lest we who ought to by now be anchored unwaveringly in the faith
we confessed as a child, 
lest we wallow in doubt and disillusionment,
and neglect to teach by setting a mature, humble and godly example  
for our children and grandchildren as we ought,
adjust our focus where needful, to remain fixed on you, 
and not the Glance of Circumstance!
Amen

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Christmas That Never Ends

Day-after-Christmas contemplation...

The hustle and bustle of Christmas busyness,
the rustle of wrapping paper,
the frenzy of last minute food and gift prep,
the shrieks of excitement and delight
will soon fade like fond footfalls of farewell,
we collect in heart-vaults.


...but the Spirit of Christmas,
because of God's everlasting goodness through the gift
of his Son, Jesus, is hopefully a daily joy, all year through!

Christmas Season, with all its fuss and bustle will soon fade
And disappear into the hush of Bygone’s promenade
But, Belief in the Reason for the season, anchors peace
His everlasting goodness gladdens hope with joy’s increase

Belief transforms the lens we look through to find happiness
It mends the holes in our souls with precious promises
And grounds faith in the merit of love, unfathomable
Where Father, Son and Spirit manifests Immanuel

Where redemption endorses profound possibility
The blood of Christ that cleanses and atones, sets sinners free
From the inherent curse; the first-fruit that first sin conceived
But God so rich in mercy washed away when we believed

This keeps the joy of Christmas alive in us all year long
His everlasting goodness kindles everlasting song
Because belief in the Reason for the Season transcends
The temporal; Jesus gives us Christmas that never ends

© Janet Martin

the morning after
a lot of laughter, food and joys aka noise😅💖!!!



John 10;10
I have come that they may have life, 
and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus~








Monday, December 18, 2023

Faith's Perfect Provision


In a week from today, (Christmas!)
Christians will be celebrating the birth of the Object of our faith;
our Lord Jesus Christ!

Luke 2:10-11
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: 
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
 which shall be to all people.
 For unto you is born this day in the city of David
 a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Romans 5:1
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, 
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hallelujah!!!

Yesterday morning a plea in the opening prayer at our church service
caught at my heart...'that You would find us faithful, Lord'!!
What is the use of anything else, if He does not find us faithful?!!

Matt.24:13
But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Does this not bid us plead for Sunday morning's fire
to kindle Monday morning's desire?!!

Doesn't it bring fresh zeal/appeal to this old, cherished Christmas hymn??




So this morning, no matter what composes our fears, regrets and sorrows
we may rejoice and be glad in this day He has made...
for He who promised is faithful!!

Heb.10:19-23
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence 
to enter the Most Holy Placed by the blood of Jesus, 
20by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,e
21and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
  22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,
 having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience 
and our bodies washed with pure water.
23Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, 
for He who promised is faithful.

***

Enough to know, though sorrow scores the garment of the soul
And the enemy of faith roars, still, God is in control
The witness of each thought and intent of the heart, is kind
His everlasting love is not a figment of the mind

But is, in every circumstance, a Present Help indeed
To all who trust in Him, He grants exactly what we need
Then, where care’s billows ebb and flow, joy and peace still console
Because, it is enough to know that God is in control

Thus, all contenders for the faith have no cause for despair
God’s full armour will keep us safe to persevere through prayer
For He is in control no matter how the Whole may bend
The Shepherd of the Soul helps us be faithful to the end

© Janet Martin

 

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Till Life on Earth Is Through


Each new day overflows
With undefeated worth...


The gladness only God bestows
Undergoes grand rebirth



This time of year our hearts and minds start to turn Christmas-ward!
For the believer in Jesus, it is a glad celebration
 of the Living Hope, joy and peace we cherish every day!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
 as you trust in him, 
so that you may overflow with hope 
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13




We walk by faith, not sight
The joy that we proclaim
By God’s grace, is the chief delight
Of all who love His name

We do not hope in vain
Our God, faithful and true
Abides with us midst fear and pain
Of this world’s fleeting rue

Each new day overflows
With undefeated worth
The gladness only God bestows
Undergoes grand rebirth

As we fix our gaze
While weathering the wearing ways
Of time that lies between

By faith, reply reveres
The call that we receive
As we treasure God's Word that cheers
All who trust and believe

…while keeping watch, we pray
That faith will remain true
Until the great and glorious day
When life on earth is through

© Janet Martin


Matthew 24:42
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.







Sunday, October 1, 2023

Joy Unspeakable

Today's Sunday School lesson
 for my Gr.4-6 class was the parable of the talents from Matt.25:14-30

My prayer is that these little weekly gettogethers will help to
grow their love for God into a joyful, living faith,
wakening their hearts to many opportunities to serve Him every day,
with what He has given,
no matter who or where we are...
that our daily prayer may be at every age
to be good and faithful stewards

Below are a few questions and verses from the lesson...
(good questions and verses to meditate on at any age!)

What are some ways you can use 
what you’ve been given to love God and serve Him?

Why is it worth it, to use what we’ve been given to serve God?

Why was the evil servant wrong to hide the talent?

Rom.11:35-36
“Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”[a]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever!
 Amen.

Rom.14:17-18
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, 
but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 
18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God 
and receives human approval.

1 Pet. 4:10-11
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, 
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 
11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. 
If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides,
 so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
 To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.
 Amen.

To the true follower of Jesus
there is nothing sweeter on earth
than gathering with fellow-believers 
to worship our Saviour!
Here we renew reverence and encouragement
to be faithful stewards!




What joy to gather together
To be drawn in one embrace
With love’s invisible tether
Of communal hope and grace
Of humble, glad expectation
To be overcome once more
By devotion’s celebration
To the Savior we adore

To be filled with wordless wonder
As our hearts and souls are wed
In reverence as we ponder
He who died in our stead
What a friend we have in Jesus
Oh, what joy His love bestows
The power of the cross frees us
From the debt each sinner owes

What a beautiful reminder
As we join to praise the Lord
To determine to be kinder
To love and obey His word
To find in worship’s communion
Inexpressible delight
At the glimpse of a Reunion
When at last faith turns to sight

© Janet Martin

1 Pet.1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 
By His great mercy He has given us new birthb into a living hope
 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 
4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, 
undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
  5who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation
 that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

6In this you greatly rejoice, 
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials
7so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, 
perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, 
glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

8Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; 
and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him 
and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 
9now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, 
the salvation of your souls.



Friday, September 15, 2023

In Keeping (With the Name That We Confess)

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

No dark and hopeless misery
where parting's tender teardrops fall;
the death of faithful saints must be
the sweetest sorrow-joy of all
...because farewell is not the end
but simply 'till we meet again'

Yesterday, the author of this book


...laid his beloved wife to rest.
Finished!
 Faithful to the end! 
What a testimony!
Her example of devotion to her Saviour,
her ministry and heart's desire that all, young and old
would come to a saving faith in Jesus,
compels us to reevaluate/examine our own witness,
and whether it is in keeping with the Name that we confess!

Because far more than merely memories made/left behind by how we live
Our words and deeds compose the 'personal account' we will give...

Rom.14:12
So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

The funeral service was opened with this beautiful hymn



She truly, truly did live this command of Jesus...
Matt.5:16
Let your light so shine before men, 
that they may see your good works 
and glorify your Father in heaven.

In keeping with the Name that we confess
(The only name by which man can be saved)
In keeping with the hope and righteousness
Accomplished in the cross that Jesus braved
May the fruit that our labour achieves
Be in keeping with the gift faith receives

In keeping with the everlasting Word
God speaks to us through Jesus Christ, His Son
In keeping with the gospel, we have heard
How Jesus gave His life for everyone
when we repent, pray the life we begin
Is in keeping with His Spirit within

In keeping with the joy still set before
That sustains faith’s diligence to endure
In keeping with the Saviour we adore
Because in Him our future is secure
Believing this, then may all we embrace
Be in kind keeping with God’s saving grace

…so by the light of love others may see
The love of God and glorify His name
Through glad, good deeds of true humility
We will not bring the love of God to shame
But, in keeping with the Name above all
Walk in a manner worthy of His call

© Janet Martin

Rom.10:8-12
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, 
you will be saved.
10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,
for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Eph.4:1-3
As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk 
in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:
 2with all humility and gentleness, 
with patience, bearing with one another in love,
 3and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit
 through the bond of peace.

Heb.1:1-3
On many past occasions and in many different ways,
God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.
2But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son,a
whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.
3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature,

Friday, June 23, 2023

The Fight is Real, My Friend


For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
 but against principalities, against powers, 
against the rulers of [a]the darkness of this age, 
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 
Eph.6:12

...as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,
 through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises,
 that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, 
having escaped the [a]corruption that is in the world through lust.
2 Peter 1:3-4


 




The fight is real, my friend
The enemy we face
Will often tempt us to defend
Errors of truth and grace

We should be on our guard
Armed with the Word of God
Because the fight is real and hard
And without worldly laud

Pride goes before the fall
How careful we should be
To seek God’s Kingdom first of all
With awed humility

The foe we fight is sly
Unscrupulous and vile
With all that cannot satisfy
He lures us with a smile

Seduction’s schemes seem sweet
Enslavement’s camouflage
Disguises stampedes of defeat
With pride’s vain entourage

…and we would all fall prey
To depravity’s sewer
Without God’s Word to light the way
So that we may endure

His divine power grants
Everything that we need
To equip us as we advance
Through (battle) fields of thought and deed

© Janet Martin

Just as Jehoshaphat cried, as he stood in the assembly
of Judah and Jerusalem, do we...

6,
O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, 
and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, 
and in Your hand is there not power and might, 
so that no one is able to withstand You?

12,
O our God, will You not judge them? 
For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; 
nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

15,
“Listen, all you... Thus says the Lord to you:
 ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, 
for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

17
Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord,
 who is with you...
Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them,
 for the Lord is with you.”


In this promiscuous age we pray for wisdom like never before...
Prov.9:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, 
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Today's post inspired in part by today's

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Should I, Because of Stubborn Pride (protect a favoured sin)

 Here's My Heart, Lord



Should I, because of stubborn pride, protect a favoured sin,
Unwilling to admit Idolatry. Oh God, I pray
That You would rend rebellion’s veil in this temple of skin
As repentance rouses renewed devotion to obey

Oh Lord, Enlighten the eyes of my heart, transfixed by these;
The knowledge of hope’s calling and the glory of your grace
Protect me from the tempter that taunts me to ‘take mine ease’
Trading redemption’s riches for the enemy’s embrace

Smite me with grief if I defy your goodness with my greed
If I should set a stumbling block before my fellowman
Remind me of Your lifeblood poured out to supply Soul's need 
And open the eyes of my heart to Your wonder again

Oh, do not let me covet what can never satisfy
Do not let me mouth half-confession’s vain and pious prayer
Lord, let the truth of you undo the lacquer of the lie
That glosses over pitfalls that are waiting to ensnare

Should I, because of stubborn pride, protect a favoured sin,
Lord, open up my eyes to weigh sin’s wages with Your gift
Then would You rend rebellion’s veil in this temple of skin
And help me give more earnest heed to Your Word, lest I drift…

© Janet Martin

Inspired in part by Eph.1 NKJV

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Redemption in Christ

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved.

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and [b]prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, [c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[d] is the [e]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your [f]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality[g] and [h]power and [i]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.


Thursday, April 20, 2023

There Is a Hand...


Psalm 139:23-24
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.

 Savior, Lead Me Lest I Stray

 

There is a Hand to which faith clings with confidence secure
A hand that fits us with armor that fits us for the fight
And helps us in thick of opposition to endure
As we trust His command and make His love our chief delight
As we rely on He who tries and tests our hearts and minds
To see if there be any wicked way that persists still
To mar His perfect peace because of pride that blindly binds
Us to the pattern of this world rather than to His will

There is a Hand that draws us to the comfort of His Word
He leads in paths of righteousness through valleys of despair
And fills us with fresh wonder for His mercies, undeterred
To we, often forgetful of His faithful, loving care
He guides and keeps, while calling sheep still wandering and lost
His arms always wide open to welcome prodigals back
To kiss His hands, scarred with reminders of redemption’s cost
Hands still outstretched to all who still reject love without lack

© Janet Martin

Psalm 34:8-14
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
14Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.





 

Monday, April 10, 2023

A Hope-Hug



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.

Earlier this week a commentator for The Masters remarked how
there are far more games being played than the one we see on the greens;
the games of the mind!
We can all relate to that comment, can't we?!
But above all that fuels the duels of the mind
there is faith, hope and love. (1 Cor.13:13)
These are no game!
These equip us for what waits after life's/faith's grueling duels are done!
Images like the ones below can't help but rouse a sort of reflection
and stir a sacred anticipation for That Day
when by the grace of God for His eternal glory, believers, faithful and true
 celebrate the Victory of all Victories!
When it will be our arms lifted in unceasing praise to the One who made triumph possible!




Dear Christian, are you discouraged, weary beyond words, with love's cares and prayers?
Press on. A Heavenly hug awaits!



Hope heals many a hurt
Hope drives us from despair
Hope endorses the holy work
Of meek and patient prayer
And does not make ashamed
All who through faith, trust Him
Who once upon a cross proclaimed
Hope that no woe/foe can dim

Though oft we groan with grief
Where hell’s painted façade
Promotes the plague of unbelief
And fearlessness of God
Still, mercy is renewed
Each morn, His truth remains
Where faith keeps hopelessness subdued
Through grace His love sustains

Whoever will may come
Trust in God and repent
Before the certain, sacred sum
Of numbered days is spent
Before it is too late
To prepare to meet God
Because Last Breath has sealed the gate
With judgment’s solemn rod

Without His gift of grace
Without redemption’s stream
How can we bear to think to face
He who died to redeem
And break the curse of sin
To save the deathless soul
To anchor hope beneath the skin
Of faith that makes us whole

© Janet Martin

 In Need 



Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope
 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.

But if we choose to reject and disregard Him,
what then?!!
If we choose through unrepentance, God's wrath?!!

A somber reflection from a devotion by Charles Spurgeon