Faith Dare/Prayer

It's another snowy, blowy day in Ontario!

At 5:30 a.m. we had to call my brother

to blow some mammoth snow drifts before Jim could leave.

By the time he was gone I was wide awake,

granting a cozy morning (for me😅) opportunity

to read, pray and meditate deeply on eternity-impacting truths.

This poem was written with utter joy and utter sorrow;

utter joy for all who by faith live an authentic,

humble testimony of love and obedience to God

(our topic at small group last night)

(and remembering we are all broken and all fall 

and there is forgiveness for all true repentance)

...and also utter sorrow for all who have 

not by faith received the gift of Salvation that

 God is waiting/willing to give to all who call on Him in truth.

We can do nothing other than by faith believe

in the finished work of the cross,

to receive God's gift of grace;

A gift, that when received,

will change everything we do!

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Heb.11:6

and faith without works is dead. James 2:17

We are saved by grace, not works Eph.2:8-9

for good works He prepared in advance for us to do. Eph.2:10

***

 

The gift of God no works can earn; by His grace we are saved

Through faith, (so none can boast) but turn from sin to Christ alone

He paid salvation's gruesome price upon the cross He braved

And by sin's final sacrifice laid faith's Chief Cornerstone  

By faith, we repent and receive salvation's gift of love

By faith we accept and believe the power of the cross

By faith we press toward a Goal this world knows nothing of

And by this faith that makes us whole we count all things but loss 

Faith, the substance of things hoped for, no eloquence can tell

As, by God's grace Forevermore holds unrivaled appeal

Because of His redeeming love that saves the soul from hell

 Faith's joy transcends the fickle glove of what we think-see-feel

Faith is the shield able to quench the darts of evil foes

Faith fits us for the fight; it's benchmark 'I surrender all'

Faith is full confidence in He whose Word/Will none overthrows

Faith, the fruit of humility picks us up when we fall 

The Author and Perfecter of our faith, endured the worst

To prove the extent of His love, He paid sin's penalty

Now faith and love are possible because He loved us first

And gave Himself to free mortal from death's captivity

 

Someday mortal will don the robe of Immortality

The righteous will shine as the sun as faith is turned to sight

All who deny God's gift of grace purchased at Calvary

Will waken on that day to face rejection's wailing plight 

Once we were all doomed to God's wrath through Adam and Eve's Fall 

Before we chose the holy path that only faith can claim  

Through that which only God can give; His blood-bought acquittal 

Then, by faith's diligence to live to glorify His Name

Rejection's recompense, oh, who is bold enough to dare

To wait until it is too late to call, then vainly grieve 

Oh! hearken to His Voice, his love and grace beyond compare

And by faith, make the sacred choice to repent and believe 

 Janet Martin

John 3:14-17

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 

even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 

 that whoever believes in Him should [c]not perish but have eternal life. 

 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, 

but that the world through Him might be saved.

Rescue the Perishing