Showing posts with label agape love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agape love. Show all posts

Monday, March 18, 2024

Monday Medley of Meditations


There's nothing quite like love's heartaches to remind us
of the Living Hope found in the Healer of the human heart
and rouse reflections on how our own lives reflect

Saturday night awed hearts with art
only God can orchestrate/accomplish!






So did Sunday morning!!!
(after a 'sheepish' snowfall overnight.
It was a bit like walking on fleece; soft and soundless)





By the grace God has given me, 
I laid a foundation as an expert builder, 
and someone else is building on it. 
But each one must be careful how he builds.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
 Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, 
but think of yourself with sober judgment, 
according to the measure of faith God has given you.

***

Oh, self-inflicted agony
Oh, cruel way to live
Clinging to hate's hostility
Unwilling to forgive

Oh, what an awful way to face
A new day, mercy kissed
Greeting the goodness of God's grace
Not with praise, but raised fist

Oh, pray we do not waste each chance
To love each other, for
Today is like a gift God grants
To love Him more and more

How much we love Him, none can hide
Love's language plain to see 
By how freely self is denied
In light of Calvary

© Janet Martin 

***

We never will get it quite right
Human nature is bound to err
Better to forgive than to fight
Better to be kind than to swear

Or wield a vengeful, verbal knife
Darkening thought with bitter darts
Better to hold the gift of life
In gentle hands and thankful hearts

How futile, the vile mastermind
That plots ways to retaliate
Better to be patient and kind
Better to love, my dear, than hate

© Janet Martin

***

When All That Remains Is What Was...

We pass this way but once, my love
How long the way will be
Until the soul slips from its glove
No one can know or see

Thus, we do well to live each day
As if it were the last
To cheer each other on life's way
Ere death's shadow is cast 

...and all that remains is What Was
With those we leave behind
Pray, life's echoes are sweet because
They are gentle and kind 

© Janet Martin

Every test God allows in our lives is but an opportunity
to yield to and trust
and to bring Him glory!!







Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Never Too Young (or old) To Learn

Sweetheart helping/learning to make butter tarts!




I generally am treated to 100% sweetness by this little gal
but 'rumor' has it there's another side that sometimes isn't quite so!😂😅🙏


Sometimes, when 'training up' children, an extra-firm hand is required;
A hand that let's them know that no tantrum will change the expectation for obedience!
It is vital that a child learns as early as able, 
to recognize and respect/obey authority!




Sometimes, we as God's children need that firm Hand too.
How easily we (like children) are prone to ignore 
and disrespect/disobey His Supreme Authority!
We, like little children, can be as sweet as pie (or butter tarts) when all goes well!
But what about those other times, when wills clash?!

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, 
you are slaves to the one you obey, 
whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, 
or to obedience leading to righteousness?



The quest to please ourselves, it seems, comes very naturally
Rousing a wrestling match between Self and authority
We are not born to want to yield to edicts not our own
The master of our lives revealed by what our deeds make known

The quest to please ourselves is something that is never taught
Human nature is always king over empires of thought
The living proof of love’s touchstone demonstrates without fail
Who resides on the heart’s veiled throne; choice, its own tattle-tale

The quest to please ourselves is not uncommon or bizarre
Until we yield our will to God, love is a tug-of-war
Until we love Him first, we will not find true joy because
The quest to please ourselves is cursed with the worst part of us (sin)

We all have faced the giant in the valley of love tried
We all have been defiant, self-reliant, blind with pride
But, pray, we all have borne the blow that brought us to our knees
And slew the masquerading foe, impossible to please

And pray our quests have been condensed till only One prevails
Treasured with humble confidence/reverence in God who never fails
And pray that when we are beguiled to prize some lesser goal
He reminds us, we are His child; the Saviour of the Soul

© Janet Martin


Eph.3:20-21
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly 
above all that we ask or think,
 according to the power that works in us, 
 to Him be glory in the church 
by Christ Jesus to all generations,
 forever and ever. 
Amen.

so, here's to that universal classroom of
'never too old to learn' or to forgive, or repent,
and confess our sins and try-try-again!

Below, an inspiring excerpt from the life story of
George Mueller of Bristow...



Sunday, September 18, 2022

The Masterpiece of Grace



I began writing this poem early this morning without any idea what today's message would be!
But the passage for the inspiration of this poem was part of this morning's message at WBC!

1 John 4: 11-12
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 
12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, 
God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.

I have been reading a lot in Ephesians and 1,2&3rd John recently!
So, the 'message' in the message reiterated a lot of what has been on my heart!
Thank-you God (and Gary)



Oh! Pray that most stunningly profound moment takes place
when we are utterly awed by God's unfathomable grace
that His love bestows on all who call on Him,
in repentance and belief,
and then, our only possible reply can be




Love leaps with joy’s sweet poses and in sorrow weeps and mourns
It awes us with its roses, and it pricks us with its thorns
It uplifts hearts with gladness, and it weighs hearts down with care
The utmost happy sadness that mortal will ever bear

It soothes and stuns; it sears and cheers and wounds and heals, oh my
It binds and frees and finds its knees beneath its weighted sigh
It satisfies our deepest need but cannot succour Self
It is an enemy of greed and miser’s hoarded pelf

Daily it dies unnumbered deaths yet is life to the full
Of priceless worth and yet to keep it is impossible
For until it is given, none its merit can applaud
A mirror made in Heaven to reflect the proof/love of God

Love suffers long and it is kind no matter what the price
The crown jewel of blessing lined with constant sacrifice
The tally of its treasure reckoned in regions above
On ledgers beyond measure because who can fathom love?

Love yields, yet clings to what is right, often misunderstood
Love is a peacemaker that fights with all its might for good
Love lends a helping hand and walks a second mile or ten
Because love, the greatest command is God in us, amen

No flesh can force, form or plan love from matter, tangible 
The divine mesh of God in man is unfathomable
Where without love/God no one can set the building blocks in place
On The Cornerstone that begets The Masterpiece of Grace 

© Janet Martin



Saturday, August 27, 2022

Remind Us (Before It Is Too Late)

The law of love is not for the faint of heart, is it?!
It is intrinsically, inevitably attached to a whole bucket-load of care
because love cares!
But we never need to bear its cross of cares alone!
What a tiding of comfort and joy!

Not all love is baby-sweet and child-innocent...



With love comes huge responsibility/accountability...
We have a Heavenly Father who loves us beyond comprehension!
1 John 3:1
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us,
that we should be called children of God!

So take heart! esp. those in leadership positions;
daddies, mothers, pastors and elders, Sunday School leaders and teachers,
and so many other unseen second-milers💕🙏

Heb.6:10
For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love 
which you have shown toward His name,
 in that you have ministered to the saints, 
and do minister...

Thou God, who dost not fail
To we, prone to forget
Remind us where care’s legions hail
You cradle every ‘yet’

Between Known and Unknown
The present hour peals
Before Thy everlasting throne
The humble seeker kneels

…to find strength for the day
To listen for Thy voice
Where this world offers a buffet
And we reply with choice

Oh, may it never be
As step by step, we go
That we rely on what we see
Rather than what we know

No one exceeds Thy might
Thy love will never fail
To those who in Thy law delight
Perfect peace will prevail

Then, in the thick of love
Lest we forget to heed
Remind us, Thy grace is enough
To satisfy our need

And though life’s weight of care
May seem but to increase
Remind us, tis but to prepare
Our hearts for perfect peace

Where faith and sight compete
Unravel doubt’s dark veil
Remind us of Thy joy complete
Thy love that will not fail

As we trust and obey
(in spite of slight and sneer)
Remind us of the Judgment Day
Drawing so very near

Lest Thy Spirit departs
Averse to vain debate
Lord, open the eyes of our hearts
Before it is too late

© Janet Martin

Eph.1:18
I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, 
so that you may know the hope of His calling, 
the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,...

John 15:9-11
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. 
Remain in My love.
10If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love,
just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
11I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete.

Therefore You are great, O Lord God. 
For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, 
according to all that we have heard with our ears.
2 Samuel 7:22



Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Love; The Journey


So much for love to hope for, pray for, and celebrate!
Love is not a feeling, 
but a fulltime labor of compassion, courage, correction and grace!
Love is ever learning and never lazy.
Love is God poured out, in/ through us!
His  loving grace is sufficient for the charge!

1 John 4:7-12
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, 
and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 
8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, 
that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 
10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us 
and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 
12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, 
God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

1 Cor.13:7-8
Love...bears all things, 
believes all things, 
hopes all things, 
endures all things.
Love never fails.


I believe in loving the journey 
but an apt twist to this quote would be
Love is the Journey


Love hurts with those who hurt
And laughs with those who laugh
Its noble motive seeks the worth
Of fellowman’s behalf

It hopes and prays and cares
And does not weigh the price
But with a heart of mercy bears
The yoke of sacrifice

Love does not seek its own
Agendas; love is kind
It sets a stable stepping stone
For those foll’wing behind

It heeds earnest rebuke
Love does not boast or lie
Unprejudiced, humble and true
Love measures thought’s reply

Love mourns with those who mourn
And sings with those who sing
Love shares the rose and bears the thorn
Without self-pitying

Love lights joy’s candlestick
Love never, never fails
When grief’s sickle cuts to the quick
God, who IS love prevails

Incarnate and Enough
The Vine sustains the branch
Apart from God, love is not love
But hell's hopeless romance

Love transcends circumstance
Mercy's unthwarted grail
Outpours, in constant sustenance
The love that cannot fail

So, Love the journey Here
With humble, holy laud
Because love is the journey, dear
Back to love's birthplace; 
God

© Janet Martin

John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. 
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; 
apart from me you can do nothing.

1 Cor.13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 
But the greatest of these is love.



Monday, June 20, 2022

The Wonder of Enough (or Monday Morning Mantra)



Love's mandates are timeless
As we cry out in our hearts 'what can we do?!'
as we lift up brokenness after brokenness to God in prayer
His reply is now as it was then;
Love one another...
John 15:12
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, 
just as I have loved you.

John 14:15
“If you love me, keep my commands.

Galatians 5:13
For you were called to freedom, brethren;
only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh,
but through love serve one another.


 

His love poured through us is Enough

Enough to equip us 
for the fight
Enough to convict, forgive, 
to be kind, to be Light
Enough to fulfill
His will, so we pray 
For His love to instill
until we obey
...and love one another
the way we ought
and love one another
the Way He taught






Lord, help love be sincere
And help us take to heart
The wonder of Thy love so dear
While the world falls apart
Because it does not know
The Truth that sets us free
The joy that sets the heart aglow
Amidst calamity
Where grace in rich supply
True repentance redeems
Where, morn to morn, mercy’s reply
With renewed favor/fervor streams
Where hope does not bring shame
But anchors blood-bought souls
In the salvation through Thy name
While time’s progression rolls
Toward eternity
When Time will be no more
Where faith will taste the victory
That now we hunger for
When the glass of the law
Dissolves, when face to face
We gaze, with undistracted awe
On Thee, Author of grace
Unhindered then, by cares
When prayerful pleadings cease
When love its final burden bears
When all is life and peace
When grief its dagger drops
When swords to plowshares beat
When from valleys and mountaintops
Worship’s anthems repeat
When everlasting Day
Earth’s shackles will undo
When former things are passed away
And all will be made new

…until then, Lord, through Thee
Let our love be sincere
Help us, with unfeigned fealty
Thy precepts to revere
And take to humble heart
Thy steadfast truth and love
And let Thy promises impart
The wonder of Enough

© Janet Martin


Love's To-do list...
Romans 12:9-21 

9 Love must be sincere. 
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 
10 Be devoted to one another in love. 
Honor one another above yourselves. 
11 Never be lacking in zeal, 
but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 
12 Be joyful in hope, 
patient in affliction, 
faithful in prayer. 
13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. 
Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; 
mourn with those who mourn. 
16 Live in harmony with one another. 
Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
[a] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 
19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, 
but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 
“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[b] says the Lord. 
20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[c]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, 
but overcome evil with good.

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Wonder-full Compulsion! Plus Butter Tart Recipe 😋

Sometimes the ho-hums of housework
would not feel like an honor to perform
until we look beyond it's façade 
to love,
and glimpse the face of God






For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus:
that if One died for all, then all died;
and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves,
but for Him who died for them and rose again.

2 Cor.5:14-15





Compelled by love for He who gave His all, oh let it be
Drawn with desire to put on dear Christ’s humility
For God so loved the world He gave His Son to pay sin’s debt
He rent the bondage of the grave, oh may we ne’er forget

Compelled by love, to honor He who to self-will did die
To offer ourselves to be love’s penitent reply
Where more than Call of Duty bids us bear life’s yoke and rod
With the unhidden beauty of a heart yielded to/exalting God

Compelled by love, first for our God and then for fellowman
Oh, blissful state as we applaud, through servanthood, His plan
Where love did not demand from us the recompense for sin
But rather gave his Son Jesus, His gift of grace to win

Compelled by love, ah, as we contemplate the sacrifice
What higher call could captivate or be worth greater price
Life’s meekest merit never fails; He who is Love supplies
His Spirit's strength as faith prevails and strains toward the Prize

© Janet Martin

Doesn't love's beauty always sweeten the duty?! Aren't you glad?

...some small  'sweetness-es'
sometimes come in the form of
Warm Butter Tart!


Oh!! I'm sorry. Would you like one too?
Here is the best recipe I know!
My mother's...









Monday, March 21, 2022

Let It Be...(an easier-said-than-done-outpouring)


This weekend Grandsonny and granddaughter
experienced the joy of lending a helping hand...
(work before play 😄)
and reaping some delightful rewards!

 


...the happiness of Maple-taffy-cone sweet thank-yous 
Where can you get a sweet thank-you treat too?!! Here!


...the thrill of a ride in Grandpa's big truck


We are all children in a sense, earning a recompense of reward...

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue,
 but in deed and in truth.


After a few recent devotions and yesterday's message
 I have once again been soundly challenged
 to weigh my love in the scales of His Word and choices I make
 to see if my love for God and fellowman is found wanting!


Lord, let it be Thy love for me that satisfies my want and need
Lord, let it be my love for Thee that shines Thy light in word and deed
Lord, let the witness of Thy love be more than Sunday morning rite
Lord, let the fruit of the tree prove Thy love to be my chief delight

Lord, let it be my faith in Thee (not what I see) that keeps me strong
And let my humble honor be to help a fellowman along
And let my joy forever spring from a Fount that cannot run dry
Thy love, Lord exceeds everything that my thought attempts to descry

Lord, let it be Thy love for me that crowns the motive of my will
And let the light of Thy love be like a city set on a hill
Lord, let goodness and mercy be a messenger in hands and feet
Thy love for me, my love for Thee to make life’s journey to Thee sweet

Lord, let it be my hope in Thee that reminds me how great thou art
Remind me of love’s sympathy that broke Thy body and Thy heart
Then, as I see Thy love for me let nothing hide Thy lovely face
The backdrop of a bloodstained tree, forbid, some lesser loves replace

Lord, though the storms of life increase, Lord bid the demons of dread flee
For thou wilt keep in perfect peace, the mind that is transfixed on Thee
And let it be Thy love for me that grants the courage to proceed
And let it be my love for Thee that helps a fellowman in need

© Janet Martin

No one can help everyone but we who are blessed to have
can all help someone who does not have!!

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Of Fellow-tree

 

Love sometimes may seem harsh at first, but true love 
does not leave truth or untruth untouched
 just as a doctor would not
leave the patient unwounded to spare them initial pain
thus not ridding them of the deadly growth within... 
or just as an arborist knows
 a healthy tree requires pruning


Because this tree has not been faithfully pruned
and cared for its fruit is misshapen and blight-pocked
(I have never been very educated in apple tree care) 

How diligently love's students should study God's Word,
(love's instruction book) because its author IS Love
Otherwise unawares we may be blind to the truth 
about love
and grace
 and truth...

Luke 6:39
And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind?
 Will they not both fall into the ditch?

1 Sam.15:22
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

True love does not praise and condone displays of disobedience
Nor does it cast a verbal stone, but prays that the sinner repents
For none are righteous, without He who saves us, not by works, but grace
Then, with kindest humility, may love mirror our Saviour’s face

Pity the one who, yet deceived, believes sin’s wage is life, not death
That honest love is brave enough to cut with tenderness and care
Rather than fear they think love gruff, thus leaving deadly cancer there

Love is patient and kind but never winks at gates where vice creeps in
Lest by such lie it aids to blind and bind the sinner to the sin
But love, with careful conscience prays for grace and truth’s duality
To wake the one who disobeys; by the fruit God will know the tree

Love cares about a fellow-tree not bent with harvest sound and good  
And braves the possibility of love being misunderstood
By asking God to fill the cup we lift with kind humility
So love would open up  the eyes, still rebel-blind, to look and see

© Janet Martin



Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Look At Me!







Look at me! Look at me! they call, countless times a day, eager to impress their care-giver!
Oh, imagine if we did that to our Caregiver who is always watching over us
even though we cannot see Him!
(We/ I tend to plead the opposite, embarrassed/ guilty at our/my often less-than-eager efforts)

Imagine if we lived for our Creator with this mindset...

Look at me! look at me
Did you see? did you see?
How I gave willingly, without bound
How I put others first
Rather than, self-immersed
Paid no heed to the need all around

Look at me! Look at me
Did you see? did you see?
How, without jealousy I rejoiced
In the great happiness
Of another's success 
Leaving my disappointments unvoiced

Look at me! look at me!
Did you see? Did you see?
How I walked second miles for the weak
How, in the face of spite
I did not choose to smite
My opponent, but turned the other cheek

How, not stubborn and proud
I submissively bowed
 Beneath Mercy's Higher Command
Trusting Your promises
Rather than fuss and stress
Over ways I do not understand

Look at me! look at me!
I'm a sinner set freed
From the debt that I owed but You paid
Now all I want to do
Is love and honour You
In this beautiful day you have made

Oh, imagine if we
With true humility
Loved each other, how happy our cries,
'Look at me, look at me
Did you see? did you see
It is You that my life glorifies'

Janet Martin

 Let your light so shine before men, 
that they may see your good works 
and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matt.5:16



This constant contest of trying to 'shine the brightest'
reminds me how we are all created differently
with unique gifts and strengths
to allow all of us to shine the brightest
with the light God has instilled.

Let's try to twist ourselves inside out
with goodness for God's glory!
Because all goodness is but a reflection of You, oh God!






 

Monday, June 14, 2021

Life's Little Ways...

Yesterday our pastor asked me if I have any poems in the works 
and I am always caught completely off-guard when someone refers to that topic 
and I think I stuttered something about
 'usually I have something in the works because its just the way I 'tick' or process life',.
(I wish I was witty and could have thought of something to say like,
 'do you have any sermons in the works?',
 but on second thought, that might come off as a bit smart-alecky...sigh. here I go,
 second-guessing and over-thinking. Two of my main weaknesses) 
I then added, referring to his message that I just got a lot more to process
.(I didn't add, 'hopefully into poetry', but it's what I partly hoped God would allow. 
Poems turn lessons I might otherwise forget into keepsakes.
One of his points in yesterday's message was
 'whose agenda are we/am I focused on, mine or God's?' 
 It ties in well with a book I just started reading by Andrew Peterson entitled, 
Adorning the Dark...
The writer challenges us to 'seek first the kingdom of God' not
only in everyday life but also especially when it comes 
to the creative part of our being such as writing.



Life lends us lots of little ways to prove who we love most
The Giver of our numbered days tests desire and boast
Where godliness/holiness and gratitude/attitude must war against the flesh
Lest passions, sly and unsubdued inveigle and enmesh

How wily is the voice of Want; it beckons and beguiles
How subtle the silver-tongued taunt that first thrills, then defiles
How careful, prayerful we should weigh ambition’s catalyst
The tempter sweetly stalks his prey with poison, sugar-kissed

Life lends us lots of little ways to learn what it would teach
Mercy heaps morning’s gleaming trays, no one beyond His reach
He is a gracious God of love to we, accountable
For all the little ways we prove who we love most of all

© Janet Martin

Seek ye first
the kingdom of God
and His righteousness
and all these things
shall be added
unto you.
Matt.6:33

Every day God shows us in so many little ways 
how much he loves us
Oh, may the same be true about us, for Him!