Life Matters, A Life that Matters or Life-matters

As we contemplate the culmination of 

what may seem commonplace at first glance...

...may the light of eternity waken us to the sacred matter

of what matters most, and how ultimately 

nothing is commonplace, when

lived with love for the glory of God!

A Life That Matters ; (click link)

isn't that what we all desire?!

To matter; To be needed and loved!

And what irony; the desire to be needed and loved, to matter,

is met as we meet another's need with love.

The link above helped inspire today's poem, as well as

an excerpt from an update letter from one of our missionaries

 who led a team of students on a short-term ministering-trip.

One of the students, after thanking those who prayed for him/them

shared that he is so excited to see where the Lord will lead him

' Even though I am no longer in (said country),

I still plan to be a disciple of God

and hope to help share the good news

with as many people in my life as I can."

What a beautiful reminder about what truly matters, 

as we desire to live a life that matters,

and ultimately to exalt as Paul did!

  2 Tim.4:7

Life is lent; its gifted measure

More than sums/crumbs of birthday cake 

 Time is a temporal treasure

With eternity at stake 

Today's gifted moment-matter

Matters more than we can see

As the seeds of reply scatter

Settling in eternity 

In the grave matter of living

No one can afford to hate/wait

Today is ripe for love's giving

Tomorrow may be too late

Come, let's make the most of moments

And the matter they compose

Before death's impending summons

Ushers in life's curtain-close 

Let's run life's race with endurance

Honouring what matters most

Let's rely on the assurance

Of worth only faith can boast

What lies behind none can alter

But do not despair, my friend

Mercy's fountain does not falter  

Today we can change the end

Every life matters; its treasure

More than fool's gold or bold jest

Pray the merit of its measure

Makes its matter worth our best 

Because after this life's fleetness

After earth's mortal sojourn

We will meet with the completeness 

Of eternity's return 

Pray, we put our faith in Jesus

For this matters most of all

Because only Jesus frees us

From the curse of mankind's fall

Thank God for salvation's story

Thank Him for love's shameless boast 

Through His power, for His glory

He grants us what matters most 

Janet Martin

Rom.14:7-13

 (read the whole glorious chapter HERE)

7For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 

8For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. 

Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 

9For to this end Christ died [b]and rose and lived again, 

that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 

10But why do you judge your brother?

 Or why do you show contempt for your brother? 

For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of [c]Christ.

  11For 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.

Come To Jesus Chris Rice Lyrics

If We Make Christ our Master

For me, one of the takeaway applications of yesterday morning's message

Behold the Man is this:

Choose your master/Master or your master will choose you!

The speaker also reminded /encouraged us with this;

If we make Christ our Master and mission

day by day, the end will take care of itself;

We will be able to be faithful to the end

and echo the words of Paul in

2 Tim.4:7

" I have fought the good fight,

I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith."

So thank You Lord, for a new morning filled with new mercies!

Lam.3:22-23

Lord, because no one can serve two masters (Matt.6:24)
 help us choose You!

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus - Lydia Walker | Lyric Video |

If we make Christ our Master we will fix our eyes on Him

Not mine, but Thine the Kingdom, power and glory. Amen

If we make Christ our Master He will passion's zeal persuade

To seek His kingdom first and not vain treasures that will fade

If we make Christ our Master then, we will hallow His name

And reverence and fear the One who bore our sin and shame

If we make Christ our Master we will trust Him and obey

Knowing sorry disaster waits where Self demands its say

If we make Christ our Master we will be misunderstood

As we reject this world's appeal for Heaven's Greater Good

If we make Christ our Master worship commands a great price

Each day will be an altar, Self will be the sacrifice 

It we make Christ our Master; He, The Way, the Truth, the Life

Will lead in paths of righteousness and fit us for its strife 

If we make Christ our Master, Holy power will prevail

His armour equips us to withstand evils that assail

If we make Christ our Master we will never walk alone

His rod and staff will comfort all who make His will their own

If we make Christ our Master life will be no Easy Street

And mean will seem the Potter's Wheel as faith and sight compete

If we make Christ our Master, then, whatever may befall

When we behold Him we will know the fight was worth it all 

If we make Christ our Master, focus/motive will be realigned 

And as it is He help us love Him heart, soul, strength and mind

If we make Christ our Master, then the Best is yet to come

Death's solemn due, the doorway to Eternity with Him

The lordship of Me-Myself-I, mines deeps of futile yen

If we make Christ our Master He will satisfy. Amen 

Janet Martin

Josh Turner - I Serve A Savior (Official Audio)

JIM REEVES HAVE THINE OWN WAY LORD with LYRICS 

Better Hope

Tomorrow's Sunday School lesson is about the wise men

who traveled a lo-o-o-ng way to find Jesus, 

and did not stop seeking till they found Him and worshipped Him

Today's poem is inspired in part by pondering this account

and partly by today's devotion from Heb.7 

esp. v.18,19

18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment

because of its weakness and unprofitableness,

19 for the law made nothing [e]perfect;

on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, 

through which we draw near to God.

&25

25 Therefore He is also able to save [h]to the uttermost 

those who come to God through Him, 

since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Thank-you Jesus, for the Better Hope

which crowns common task/toil with holy purpose!

May we all seek to be 'wise men' seeking to

find and follow Jesus!

The 'Christmas' Story brings us to the 'Easter' story;

God's timeless and season-less love story!!!

We The Kingdom - Light of the World (Sing Hallelujah) [Lyric Video]

He saves them to the uttermost who come to Him in truth

And through the Better Hope He wrought love needs no further proof

His consolation is a refuge to which all may flee

Therein the soul is anchored through the truth/hope that sets us free

Praise Jesus for the Better Hope that faith’s persuasion brings

And worship He who gave Himself to bring us better things

Through the gift of salvation, each who repents and believes

Inherits the fulfillment of the promise faith receives

Thus we, heirs of the full assurance of His promises

Are shod with the gospel of peace and called to holiness

To endure patiently the service of Self sacrificed

Not slothful but prepared to suffer for the sake of Christ

Praise Jesus for the Better Hope this world can never boast

His cross-shaped promise crowns all He saves to the uttermost

And fills us with His purpose until we are called away

He bids us not grow weary in well-doing till that day

If it were not for Better Hope how mean would seem earth’s strife

If not for God’s goodness and mercy each day of our life

We surely would fall prey to he who seeks to compromise

Faith, with appealing subtlety of worship-stealing lies

God, make us like the wise men from the east who traveled far

To find the Child and did not cease from following the Star

The Star that did not disappoint or lead astray, or dim

The Star that shines with Better Hope for all who hope in Him

Janet Martin

Welcome, Sweet Spring (no matter what the weather)

 Happy First Day of Spring!!!

Welcome sweet spring, whatever be the weather...

Welcome, fine artiste of splash-perfect puddles...

Where bulbs are bursting with anticipation

First a green shoot then, tulips, daffodils...

Welcome sweet spring, whatever be the weather

We know what you will bestow without fail

Hope; as we sense nature slackens the tether

That drives the tandem of bluster and gale

Welcome sweet spring, you are ever the victor

In tug of wars twixt two seasons; heave-ho

Your smile will always defeat Old Man Winter

Melting his ire as warmer winds blow

Welcome sweet spring, bringing sunshine and showers

Transforming vistas long barren and bleak

You fling ajar nature’s gateway to flowers

Waking earth’s gardens as you kiss Her cheek

Welcome sweet spring, laden with welkin ardor

Under the sun newness clothes naked limbs

Overhead blueness vaults; a cobalt arbor

Dappled with clouds like a meadow with lambs

Welcome sweet spring, always worth our waiting

No matter how strong persistence prevails

Sooner or later planting-contemplating

Turns into garden-dirt under our nails

Welcome sweet spring, with joy no prose can capture

Where the branch cradles the fluff-feathered nest

Where morning trembles with songbird-trilled rapture

Where the brook beckons with sun-dappled zest

…where the bud pulses with em’rald elation

Bathing bare woodlands in verdurous thrills

Where bulbs are bursting with anticipation

First a green shoot then, tulips, daffodils

Welcome, fine artiste of splash-perfect puddles

Welcome, harbinger of long summer days

Welcome, rooms heady with breezy befuddles

Fragrant with blossoms and born-again praise

While, we like eager children toss our mittens

With faces pressed to Time’s windows of air

With hearts as soft as pussy-willow kittens

Welcoming spring like an answer to prayer

Janet Martin

Fragrant with blossoms and born-again praise...

…where the bud pulses with em’rald elation

Bathing bare woodlands in verdurous thrills...

Counting Happiness-Splashes...

I was ready to dash off and seize the day 

when my heart-strings snagged on this flower bouquet...

(and voila, its beauty begged to be immortalized in poetry)

It is like a splash of sunshine to brighten a stretch

of dreary weather!

What are your happiness splashes today?

A quick peek at a few of mine in the past few days...

A few months belated birthday celebration for our oldest Grandson...

(because unexpected interruptions turned into time passed by!)

Gramma and grands day...

Of eager child learning to read...

Craft and games (and silly singin' in the rain puppy) aftermath...

This puppy makes you smile and tap your toes the first time you hear him...

After the 150th time you want to hurl him outside to sing in the rain till he croaks!!😅

This ugly critter below still exists simply because 

of the mischief and laughter it provides for my grandchildren...

put it on grandma's shoulder-lap-head-plate and listen to her scream/shriek!

(p-s-s-t! sometimes for their enjoyment Grandma exaggerates reactions a bit)

...also, Grandma is biding time till PAYBACK! 😂

Let's count splashes of happiness we else might overlook

And gather them like pages in a heart-shaped picture book

Let's never take for granted what may never pass again

But be sweetly enchanted by love's lyric and refrain

Let's tune our hearts to see and hear love's many-splendored shades

Leaving pleasures to ponder when music or flower fades

Like the warmth of a handshake long after the clasp has cooled

Or the delight of daisies after nature's rod has ruled

Or wisdom, after it is schooled in hard-knock's purple eye

Or served with big fat slice of life's old-fashioned humble pie

Let's admire the poetry that needs no words to say

'I love you' in a smile, a wave, a fresh flower-bouquet

Let's do all that we can to collect nuggets of love's gold

Of eager child learning to read, of toddler's hand to hold

Of birthday hugs and cards and cakes, of laughter's sanguine bells 

Of ling'ring over cups of tea to postpone fond farewells

Of cherishing words like 'hello' 'we' 'us' 'ours' and 'together'

Of making precious memories no matter what the weather

Of taking time to stand still and behold the footprints ere

the one who leaves them vanishes into yesterday's air

Of sipping sacred servings of tick-tock, tick-tock, before

It is too late to try to taste the Time that is no more 

So, drink from life's communal cup only today can fill

And tip its chalice upside-down and let happiness spill

Like pennies from a pocket or like sparkles from the sky

Before the cup is but a shell holding the ocean's sigh

Stand still! and let the thrill of looking author wonder's hymn

Because the love of God is something that nothing can dim 

And this new day that He has made will soon join yesteryears

Let's count splashes of happiness before it disappears 

And thank the Lord for dentists when druthers would druther not

They are a precious blessing when a tooth-ache's what we've got

And thank Him for the tasks that sometimes almost steal our smiles

The people and the places we love make it worth their whiles 

And thank Him for both toil and rest; the best life has to give

And thank Him for our share in it as long, as long we live

Janet Martin

Holiness of Today or Sacredness of Seeds

Pondering planting is an annual almost-spring activity.

We never plant without hope for a good harvest

of fruit and flowers!

This line of thinking woke today's poem

as I pondered the sacredness of seeds!

(those we plant and those we don't)

We cannot reap what we do not sow

just as surely as we will reap what we sow!

Each day is like a fallow field

Soon strewn with seeds of word and deed

Consider then, some morrow's yield

When harvest will expose the seed

Each morning grants a fresh re-start

For sacred seeds waiting to spill

The Giver of  Today imparts

All that we need to trust/do His will 

He grants the soundness of His Word

To equip us with truth and love

For the harvest is undeterred

In the fruit seeds are bound to prove

...where trodden fields we leave behind

May seem to weave a transient path

But we should ever keep in mind

The future of their aftermath

(For stumbling blocks and stepping stones

Are scattered in word and deed's toll

 Where carriages of skin and bones

Traverse their wake, bearing the soul)

The seeds that fill the heart and mind

Are bound to spill in word and deed

Of truth that frees or lies that blind/bind

God, help us pay more earnest heed

...to the holiness of Today

And seed-responsibility

Where the harvest of do-and-say

Is up to likes of you and me

Today awaits our words and deeds 

God, help us as we sow, to keep

Close watch on sacredness of seeds 

We and/or our children will reap 

Janet Martin

Luke 8:4-8 & 11-15

The Parable of the Sower

4And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: 5“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded [e]a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

11“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of [g]temptation fall away. 14Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.[h]

Faith's Flawed and Fumbling Plea...

First, a Homefront update! 

Dad was able to come home on Sunday and

mom was released a few days before!

Thank-you for continued prayers for dad to heal from his surgery

and for mom's strength to be restored 🙏💖

if/as the Lord wills!

Heb.11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him,

for he who comes to God must believe that He is,

and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

As the morning light melts the night's sky

so the light of God's Word melts shadows of doubt, despair and fear!

Provide, dear Lord, provide

Wisdom, through Thy Word's light

To be a clear and steadfast guide

To steer faith's feet aright

Anoint, dear Lord, anoint

Our hearts and lips with praise

When hopeful dreamlands disappoint

Still let Thy Word amaze

Console, dear Lord, console

When sorrow's tear-seas spill

Where loss of loved one leaves a hole

Only Thy Word can fill

Comfort, Lord, comfort then

Cheer up and undergird

Help us to humbly hope again

Surrendered to Thy Word  

Convict, dear Lord, convict

Where erring will runs wild

Bid conscience be palpably pricked

Through Thy Word to Thy child

Refine, dear Lord, refine

The motive of each plea

Until we utterly resign

Our word and will to Thee

Restore, dear Lord, restore

Love's allegiance to seek 

Thy Word, heart, soul and mind before

Lifetime is left to speak

Attend, dear Lord, attend

Faith's flawed and fumbling plea

Through Thy Word let mercy amend

The prayer that reaches Thee 

Janet Martin

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

Give Me Jesus With Lyrics Artist: Fernando Ortega

 

 

In This New Day the Lord Hath Made (He Will Not Fail)

This week's prayers include pleas that God may prevail mightily

where mountains seem to rise before our eyes...

some close to home and some far, far away from home, but all close to God!

In this new day the Lord hath made, He will not fail...

In this new day the Lord hath made, He will not fail; His hand

Is by no measure or means stayed; without Him who could stand?

His faithful and redeeming love forgives iniquity

Through the power and glory of the cross at Calvary

In this new day the Lord has made He will not fail; His will

Is by no rebel scheme delayed, His purpose to fulfill

Thus, all who repent and believe and humbly trust His Word

From unseen treasuries receive, His blessing undeterred

In this new day the Lord hath made, He will not fail; His grace

Is sufficient; be not dismayed; the mountains that we face

Are cradled in the hands of He who made heaven and earth

And tries the eyes of you and me to prove faith’s truth and worth

In this new day the Lord hath made He will not fail; nor all

Who seek His kingdom first; He knows our needs both great and small

And though He rends the sacred soil that grows faith’s fruitful seed

He will supply strength for faith's toil and favour for faith’s need

Janet Martin

Ps 130

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;

2 Lord, hear my voice!

Let Your ears be attentive

To the voice of my supplications.

3 If You, Lord, should [a]mark iniquities,

O Lord, who could stand?

4 But there is forgiveness with You,

That You may be feared.

5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

And in His word I do hope.

6 My soul waits for the Lord

More than those who watch for the morning—

Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.

7 O Israel, hope in the Lord;

For with the Lord there is mercy,

And with Him is abundant redemption.

8 And He shall redeem Israel

From all his iniquities.

God Will Take Care of You