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Thursday, August 11, 2022

How Often We Are Thieves...



Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 
How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Rom.11:33 NKJV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who has blessed us in Christ 
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms...
...In Him we have redemption through His blood, 
the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
8that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
Eph.1:3,7-8 BSB

I would LOVE a whole sermon series on the
'depth of the riches' of spiritual blessing! 
(God bless the teacher/preacher of truth
by the power of the Holy Spirit 
able to verbalize thoughts I grasp at,
to stretch me beyond my personal and often inept
'wisdom and understanding' 
turned into words to encourage, exhort and edify)
Why should we obey?
What is the reward?
and many more challenges and concerns
for myself and for all who have
'repented and were baptized'
as we are urged to,  then...(Eph.4:1-3)
'walk in a manner worthy of the calling you/we 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...

***

Last night Victoria offered to do the supper dishes
giving me the glorious opportunity to soak in 
Summer Dusk in the Garden...
truly a glimpse of heaven on earth!
In goes a seed and out of it grows God's amazing handiwork!!

August is a vault of beauty and blessing...
 









...but August's beauty and blessing
 pales in comparison to the blessings
Invisible, without envy/awe-inducing attractive appearance;
the 'spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms'
for the reverent and obedient
both now and forevermore!
 Oh, pray we do not rob ourselves of this wealth
by becoming consumed with lesser riches.

how often we are thieves, though unaware of what we steal
we rob ourselves of riches beyond price, for ‘nice’ appeal
forgetting, in the forfeiting of what God cannot bless
we rob the branch/tree of bearing the sweet fruit of righteousness

forgetting in the whetting of a carnal appetite
we cannot taste God’s goodness, if we do not find delight
in the law of the Lord, if the desires of our hearts
are worldly, rather than craving what God alone imparts...

as we dredge His Word for wealth this world cannot comprehend
bent on one sacred mission; to be faithful to the end
lest, when weighed in The Balance we are found wanting, oh pray
we recognize the treasure that will never fade away

and keep our eyes fixed on a Prize only true faith holds dear
giving more earnest heed to what transcends Time’s transient sphere
lest, in the quest for more we care less about how we live
and steal from ourselves the blessings only God can give

...and rob ourselves of priceless wealth that money cannot buy
beyond the minute pleasure of things pleasing touch-taste-eye 
how often we are thieves, dear God forgive us and renew
our minds to hunger for the depth of riches found in You

...lest we thirst for what is cursed rather than 'riches of grace'
lest, by the voice of choice we worship vices, vile and base
lest, though our lips confessed Your name, our actions disagree
'dogs returned to their vomit' nay! oh, may it never be

how often we tend to shrink from faith's fundamental price 
how often love unbridled is lured by he who deceives 
only God's Word to gird, keeps us from turning into thieves

© Janet Martin








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I hope you enjoyed your pause on this porch and thank-you for your visit!