Showing posts with label God's goodness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's goodness. Show all posts

Friday, March 8, 2024

The Best That Boast Can Laud (begins and ends with God)

Happy...Friday?!! Already😅🙏💗

So many sweet photo-op skies this week...
Below, just a few!









Col.1:15-17
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
  16For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.
 All things were created through Him and for Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

All beauty we behold is divinely founded!
without God's mercy and might to hold it in place
it would all fall!

Artists, since the beginning mimic His creation,
all inspiration of God-breathed origin!

My poetic endeavors have been challenged this week
it seems. It flew by in a blink of blessing!

Mon.-Food safety and management course, 

Tues.-grand-sonny visit, appointment, small group gettogether,

Wed. finishing food prep and delivery for event mentioned here 
Thursday-Help my mom with spring-cleaning (forgot camera!!)😭
...and just like that!!! It's Friday!

Today I am prepping food and house 
for our youngest daughter's birthday celebration
on the weekend!
A whole bunch of friends staying over while 
Jim and I stay out😅💝

I began this poem yesterday morning!
The first line fell from Heaven as I stood admiring the sky
while rubbing sleep from my eyes...


Time’s fountain brims with life; it peals from belfries gold and gray
Its showstoppers run rife; God never takes a holiday
The Hand that tunes the tide that ebbs and flows with season-sweeps
Regales the countryside with color, crowned with boundless deeps
The best that boast can laud as brush and pen rush awe’s grandstands
Begins and ends with God; each work of art drawn from His hands

He grants the breathless dance of worship’s unrehearsed requiem
And cheers hope’s countenance with refreshment where mercies stream
In wonders of creation, from the wellspring of his Word
Reasons for celebration overflow and undergird
To kindle exaltation that is incomparable
Salvation’s invitation still extends to one and all

God’s goodness never ceases to thrill the soul that believes
Unrivaled masterpieces humble all mankind achieves
Thus, the best boast can muster as we meditate on This
Are endeavors to trust Him more because of Who He IS
His faultless Influence imparts the best that boast can laud
All art we woo from hands and hearts begins and ends with God

© Janet Martin

Every artist who ever has dipped pen or brush
 into inkwells and paint palettes
draws from scenes cupped and cradled in God's Hands!
Thus every work of art ought to be signed-
By His grace
For His glory!










Friday, July 21, 2023

God's Changeless Promises

This photo is taken from a hill close to my brother and sister-in-law's place
about 10 min. from our house and though I see the view often it NEVER disappoints! 



Psalm 145:13
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, 
and your dominion endures through all generations. 
The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.

When we are troubled what better, than to kneel at the cross.

Kneel at the Cross-Jim and Jesse

 


For all we wish we could return, beneath life’s testing rod
Tis in life’s challenges we learn the faithfulness of God
In the valley where gloom may try our joy to overthrow
His changeless promises reply, hope and peace to bestow

The beauty and goodness of God abounds, for aye. Amen
Each of His attributes confounds the best of mortal ken
Then, though we do not understand the reason of His thought
His changeless promises command our worship, do they not?

How often in my worry I forget to humbly trust
God is not in a hurry as He tames our willful dust
But plies, with love that will not fail, that which draws us to Him
His changeless promises prevail, beyond our wildest whim

How proud would be our prayer, but for the trial and the tear
But for the creature care that binds us to His listening ear
Then in each sorrow we confide, He whispers as we plead
My changeless promises abide, ah, what more do you need?’

© Janet Martin

Psalm 31:19
Oh, how great is Your goodness, 
Which You have laid up for those who fear You,
 Which You have prepared for those who trust in You 
In the presence of the sons of men!


Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Priceless Exceeding Abundance



So many needs weighed on my heart this morning as I thought of so many who are troubled,
so many suffering in war torn countries around the world, 
so many suffering close to home due to sickness, injuries in accidents 
and hardships due to broken relationships, hardships caused by inflation 
the fragility of the so-called freedom and peace in countries whose leaders
have turned away from God, and the list goes on...
But it is not a hopeless case. 
Quite the opposite. 
We pray to One who is able to do 
'exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, 
according to the power that works in us. 
Unto Him be glory in the church by Jesus throughout all ages, 
world without end, 
amen. 

Above All-Michael W. Smith


The Lord appoints our place
His love anoints our cares
And by the riches of His grace
God’s mercy hears our prayers

His measure of reply
Exceeds abundantly
The want and wish of you and I
On meek and bended knee

Though trial rends faith's glove
May faith, faith’s test transcend
Grounded and rooted in the love
Thought cannot comprehend

With lowliness of heart
(His Spirit’s dwelling place)
May we endeavor to impart
The riches of God’s grace

…so that we may be filled
With the fulness of He
Who helps us, through what He has willed
To proclaim His glory

© Janet Martin

“For Thine is the kingdom, 
and the power, 
and the glory,
forever. 
Amen” 
(KJV—Matt. 6:9-13)





Monday, October 31, 2022

Of Goodness and Mercy

 Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy -Shane and Shane



God’s Goodness: what delight this confidence bestows
His goodness does not shift like shadows through life’s highs and lows
But, steadfast and secure in spite of creature care
The full assurance of His goodness combats dark despair
Where we who trust in Him, and His goodness unfurled
Are part of His Goodness, to bring hope to a dying world
To cheer the suffering, to bear their burden too
To be a ready offering of His goodness run through

God’s mercy: what sweet joy and consolation bless
No foe or trouble can destroy mercy’s kind faithfulness
Sin’s pardon has been won. No other fete achieves
What mercy grants to everyone who repents and believes
Where we would deserve death and hell, grace sets us free
His mercy fills Final Breath’s knell with shouts of victory
For through death’s valley, He will walk with us, so near
To overthrow the enemy so that we need not fear

Goodness and mercy, oh, let endless praise begin
His goodness for our want and woe, His mercy for our sin
Wherever life may lead, whatever may befall
Goodness and mercy intercede to help us through it all
Where so unworthy we, heirs and joint heirs of Christ
Benefit from the agony that Jesus sacrificed
To draw all men to Him, the Perfect Prince of Peace
Where His goodness and mercy brim from founts that never cease

The glass through which we peer does not reveal the whole
A darkly, sorrow-scarred veneer enshrouds the deathless soul
Where what we see in part often vexes our gaze
Goodness and mercy’s works of art above our thoughts and ways
Because the cruciform of faith and hope and love
Must bear the testing storm its authenticity to prove
But, whatever betide, of grief and pain and strife
Goodness and mercy will preside all the days of our life

© Janet Martin

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not [a]want.
2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;
He leads me beside the [c]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord
[e]Forever.



Thursday, September 1, 2022

Once Upon Many a Wistful Morrow (have been here and gone)

Happy September!!!


And to Adam He said:
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten from the tree
of which I commanded you not to eat,
cursed is the ground because of you;
through toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your bread,
until you return to the ground—
because out of it were you taken.
For dust you are,
and to dust you shall return.”

Gen.3:17-19 (BSB)

We have toiled 'by the sweat of our brow', haven't we?!!
And Lord willing we are not done yet!
And we have eaten, haven't we?!
Thank-you, gracious Heavenly Father!

While not everything may have bloomed, obedient to expectation's hope, 
as we planted seeds, seedlings, and bulbs,
we are thankful for what often exceeds hope and expectation! 

From Fancy's Dream of a plethora of colorful dahlias....

to bushy reluctant bloomers 


that buried the planters until I moved them


From barren field with dust flying to a sweep of golden butterfly-like flutters...

From blank canvas....


...to our Creator's Masterpieces!!



A reflection and reply to this poem from May...


Spring's Wistful Morrow-World, my dear, has now been nearly spent..
Its planted plot and furrow unfurled in fruit-testament
Hope, giddy with spring's fantasy of flowers, bears the yoke
Of disappointment and delight; for blooms are not bespoke
And so we choose to cherish what was granted, midst withheld
Before the present perishes as past and future meld
Where we, all struggling students 'neath the tutelage of God
Are learning patient prudence, for no hand can force a bud
Or undo, what in Eden, routed man's eternal rest
As Eve and Adam doubted and put God's Word to the test
Where the infested ground we till still yields to human race
The bread we eat, the flower frill, like emblems of God's grace
Where, though spring's Wistful Morrow may not unfold as we planned
We know both joy and sorrow's plume are cradled in God's Hand

© Janet Martin

And the sunrise was no slouch either!!!




The last pic in my spring post made me a bit teary...


These tots seem so much bigger already!




Friday, July 15, 2022

Our Single Boast

 Jeremiah 9:23-24

This is what the LORD says:
 "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom,
 nor the strong man in his strength, 
nor the wealthy man in his riches.
But let him who boasts boast in this, 
that he understands and knows Me, 
that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, 
justice and righteousness on the earth--
for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.

I Will Boast (only in the cross)




The only goodness we can boast about or claim or laud
Is possible and only, always about and from God

The evil that exists is from the subtil serpent, pride
It mocks the Rock of Christendom; Jesus Christ crucified

…and resurrected. Victorious over death and hell
The only goodness we can boast is God’s great love to tell

Because God, rich in mercy gave His Son to pay sin's debt
God’s goodness is our single boast; oh, may we ne’er forget

© Janet Martin

 Evil people are evil because they do not have/know Jesus.
Evil leaders are evil because they fail to recognize their Leader
and the one who loves them and would forgive them if they repented
and believed on He who gives everlasting life and Heaven
in place of death and hell.
Let's pray that the love of God would become a reality to our godless leaders
and everyone who does not know the truth that sets us free

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Above, Beyond and Over All

A lone dove coos...

In spite of, amidst, into life's lease of woes
To take the sting from the its biting blows
God's grace and glory and goodness flows...

Sometimes it would be easy to be overwhelmed by
the darkness of this world,
 the hate, the wars,
the grief this brings to loved ones,
 the spiteful critic's tongue,
the constant arguing, 
finger-pointing, fault-finding, failure
 (because we are human)
but for the glory of God's love 
that still spills in more ways
than hate could ever infringe upon!
Thus we are overcome with love and hope
 rather than hate or despair.
Hallelujah!

 And from its labyrinth of limbs, a hymn of happiness...


...this 'finch-hymn' filled the snowflake-filigree-ed March morning!



this poem was going to be a quick four-liner due to a long to-do list today,
then it became an eight-liner, then twelve, 
then I decided to just let go of Time's restraints 
and let the ink flow🙏💗😊 

Amidst the misery and mayhem of this troubled world
A snowflake falls, a lone dove coos, a sunrise is unfurled
The bloom undoes the casing of a bud, a bulb, a seed
And stuns us with the loveliness that God alone can breed

Into the brokenness that ended Eden’s paradise
A dewdrop gleams, a flower beams, a newborn baby cries
Winter yields to the woo of spring, the tree redons its tress
And from its labyrinth of limbs, a hymn of happiness

Among love’s thorns that prick and pierce with fierce and bitter sting
Kindness still smiles and walks a second mile; brooks laugh and sing
And where it sometimes seems the earth is a showcase of death
God proves His faithfulness with birth; wonder still steals our breath

In spite of sorrow’s agonizing, unrelenting ways
The wind still whispers in the willow; humble faith still prays
A child still melts the heart where Innocence its Hour wills
Mercy renews its vows and rends night’s veil; God’s glory spills

Above, beyond and over-all, where sinful boast runs bold
The divine faithfulness of God prevails ten-thousand-fold
In spite of mortal misery, God's love still never fails
The greatness of His majesty in victory prevails

Beyond the scope of what we see a better morning waits
Where hope will turn to jubilee beyond time's tear-stained gates
Thus now, though we are wearied by faith's foe, redemption flows
Still, still amidst the misery and mayhem blooms Love's Rose
 
© Janet Martin

1 Chron.29:11
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory,
 The victory and the majesty; 
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD,
 And You are exalted as head over all.




Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Wonder-Full

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

A glimpse at what has overflowed my cup of  hope (aka wonder and joy)
in the past few days...

Winner of the American Express Golf Tournament...
with his son who kept saying 'daddy, let's go see the ducks and geese' (swimming nearby)
completely oblivious to the interview/er about his daddy's shining hour💖




Guess which part of the pumpkin-raisin muffin tot preferred😂



These pics but surface skimmings!!
A few more below!
How does one choose a few from thousands?!!
(h-m-m, is that what God says as He chooses our mercies new each morning?!)
('how does one choose a few from trillions?')

The wonder of the Giver’s love is up to us to find
His promises bring happiness to heart and soul and mind
To we who seek, God’s goodness leaps to cheer the common-place
To sweeten life amidst the toil and strife of truth and grace

To wonder is faith’s sacred bliss; a diamond in the dirt
Of learning how to find the ‘wow’ in hope’s heartache and hurt
How to be awed by Holy God where His kind mercies brim
Our burden but the needful ‘what’ to keep us tuned to Him

The wonder of the Giver’s love bids us to be content
To marvel where the very air we breathe is Heaven-lent
To take the time to be sublimely surprised by the ‘small’
And to begin to barely skim the wonder of it all

The wonder of God is enough to combat wonder’s foe
Where sin would be an enemy we could not overthrow
But, by God’s grace He helps us trace the shadow of His pow’r
As to love’s grief He pins a leaf, bird-symphony, a flow’r

© Janet Martin


(this passage is entitled The God Given Task)
Eccles.3:9-14
What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 
10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. 
Also He has put eternity in their hearts, 
except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 
13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—
it is the gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.

and the conclusion is entitled:
The Whole Duty of Man
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; 
yes, he pondered and sought out and set[c] in order many proverbs. 
10 The Preacher sought to find [d]acceptable words; 
and what was written was upright—words of truth. 
11 The words of the wise are like goads, 
and the words of [e]scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 
12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. 
Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.