Status Beyond Comprehension

 Who Would Have Dreamed?!

 

Today's post was inspired in part by our message yesterday at WBC

from Gal.4:4-7

But when the set time had fully come,

 God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 

5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.[b]

 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,

 the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[c] Father.” 

7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; 

and since you are his child, 

God has made you also an heir.

Yet Not I, But Through Christ In Me

What a joy to begin each week, freshly aware

of who/how we serve, not as slave-servants

 but as sons and daughters of Christ!

What sacred reason to rejoice, 

not only at Christmas but every day!

Rom.12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy,

 to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—

this is your true and proper worship. 

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—

his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Let us serve, but not in bondage as slave to a master must

Never. But in adoration with a meek and child-like trust

Knowing our Heavenly Father, who we are called to exalt

Loves His earthly sons and daughters without shortcoming or fault

What great reason for rejoicing as our lives are sacrificed

We, our Heav’nly Father’s children, (thus heirs and co-heirs of Christ!)

By God’s grace received redemption through salvation’s plan unfurled

Where by nature we were all slaves to principles of this world

Therefore, without reservation, because we are humbly awed

Let us cherish our station, as beloved children of God

Through the marvelous adoption repentant sinners receive

Status beyond comprehension from the moment we believe

For God who is rich in mercy, with his great love set us free

From the law of sin and death that once held us captivity

By His grace He has redeemed us; through His Son He paid sin’s price

Let us then offer our bodies as love’s living sacrifice

...because, beyond comprehension, we through Christ's atoning blood

Are forgiven and adopted into His royal priesthood 

Filling us with Perfect Purpose through this divine unity 

We no longer slaves or servants, are part of God's family 

© Janet Martin

1 John 1:3

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 

that we should be called children of God! 

1 Pet.2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 

a holy nation, His own special people, 

that you may proclaim the praises of Him 

who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

John 1:12
But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, 

He gave the right to become children of God--

Romans 8:14

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Romans 8:16

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

When We Remember This...

 

This morning my daughter's plans for her day off 

(Christmas shopping, small town meandering)

were suddenly upended when her employer asked

if she could work because a co-worker was sick!

While she was working through her disappointment

 I tried to cheer her with the thought that inspired this poem.

It also reminded me of this song/poem

The Christmas Guest

When we remember this, then second miles extend

Privilege, rather than duty’s stiff upper lip, my friend

When we remember this, we cannot give enough

As we consider His sacrifice and redeeming love

When we remember this, we try, the best we can

To mirror His example of love for our fellowman

Then, when out of the blue He asks us to reply

To help someone we cannot help but say, ‘Lord, here am I’

When we remember this little phrase ‘inasmuch’

It rushes hearts with honor to be called as one-of-such

© Janet Martin

Matt.25:40

“And the king shall answer, and say to them,

 'Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these, 

My brothers, you have done it to Me ...

Ears to Hear...Today's Song (and a funny video of my grandson's reaction to the snow!)

Where muffled footsteps fall

En route to find a perch

To revel in the madrigal

In nature’s perfect church...

…to listen as we should

(for time’s timing is keen)

To sermons from the winnowed wood...

That once stood, lush and green

Snow-lovers are singing winter's praises this morning!🎜🎝🎝❄❄❄

(the video doesn't pick up the excited and what I am interpreting as happy tweet-tweets😊)

other's not so much💖😂😂😂

Lord, grant us ears to hear

The melodies of life

Help us find today’s song, so dear

From orchestras run rife

In hush of morn beguiled

By rush of notes dusk quells

In darling laughter of a child (or other sounds of a child😂)

In chimes of Christmas bells

Lord, give us ears to hear

Sacred commonplace lays

That kindle in the eye a tear

And set heart-hearths ablaze

The tea, as it is poured

The click of spoons in cups

Symphonies all ears can afford

To cheer life’s downs with ups

The heave of billows borne

On time’s four-season tide

The brittle leaves in sheaves of corn

Snow-truffled countryside

Where muffled footsteps fall

En route to find a perch

To revel in the madrigal

In nature’s perfect church

…to listen as we should

(for time’s timing is keen)

To sermons from the winnowed wood

That once stood, lush and green

To treasure tenderly

The timbre of ‘hello’

Before the solemn harmony

Of final farewells flow

Lord, give us ears to hear

The cries of those in need

Your still, small Voice to counter fear

And condemn lust and greed

Lord, grant us ears to hear

Beyond the noise of strife

The tempo of love’s songs so dear

Tuning the joys of life

© Janet Martin

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matt.11:15

Celebration-Declaration or Celebration of Life

 PAD Challenge day 1: For today’s prompt, write a declaration poem. 

(I clicked on the Writer's Digest Chapbook Challenge every morning

but simply could not carve out the freedom to join...

Trying a few of the challenges here this morning!

BTW, everyone is welcome to join in the poeming fun

 at Writer's Digest poem-a-day challenge all through November!)

Yesterday morning a friend dropped by with some

homemade soup she made with some kale I had given her

the week before!

Such a sweet surprise seemed perfect for sharing so

I packed up an impromptu picnic lunch and visited my mother-in-law!

I told her our lunch was a group-effort/blessing...

Pears from my sister Lucy, soup from my friend Elaine

and Apple Bread baked by my daughter Victoria!

We had a most precious afternoon so

completely unplanned!

So today I call a celebration-declaration

for all un-expectation waiting to turn to joy!

I call a celebration-declaration for Today

A kind determination of joy-expectation when

We purpose to be kinder, and humbly thankful; to pray

And thank God for the mercy's that He renews once again

To thank Him for blessings that we too oft under-esteem 

Loved ones within arms reach; those never out of reach of prayer

To praise Him for His goodness no matter how bad things seem

To know that He is able, as we cast on Him our care 

To look a little closer at what we call Commonplace

And then to realize it is not common after all

But rather, celebration-worthy measures of God's grace

Each task a sacred mission as we heed love's creature-call 

...and suddenly sweet wonder steals our breath with gratitude

For favors humbly noted, that we overlooked before

A celebration-declaration for Regard renewed

As we reply with prayer, especially for countries at war

 💔😢🙏

Janet Martin~

I also received a very special love-created thank-you card from Elaine...

Let's make today our thank-you card to God!

Preciously Aware...

 Happy November!

Today's is my mom's birthday!

Our annual daughter and daughter-in-law's tea-party

is planned for next week because today she is celebrating with her sisters!

A very precious awareness of Each Other growing dearer

with each passing year!

A reminder for each of us to be preciously aware of Each Other! 

Time’s wheel of hopes and dreams and cares and prayers spins round and round

The hill where morrow’s stairway gleams at daybreak runs aground

And if we are not careful, we could miss what is today

While gazing at a stair full of mist-vendors far away

For, what is on display, both groaned and grinned, soon disappears

Like autumn leaves, chased by the wind, to pathless yesteryears

The physique of a wish is always just beyond our reach

And often we fail to critique the longings we beseech

Fixating on one point because it seems, to raptured sighs

To be want-worthy, while its flaws are lost in starry eyes

Until wisdom esteems that sage advice from days of yore

‘Not all is as it seems, then be careful what you wish for’

As time goes by, I want for less, yet covet more, a heart

Of humbler thankfulness for what God’s kind mercies impart

I want to be determined, in love’s hold and letting go

To keep one ear tuned to a wind that always steals the show

Then not to mourn the past or fret at what ‘yet’ holds at bay

But to be preciously aware of what Time grants today

© Janet Martin

James 4:15

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Sacred Similes or Art-Accountability Awareness

Like a vast lake,

blush, blue and gold

unfolding overhead...

...where daybreak, like a threshold to pictures that dusk will seal

Ought first to be a blush-blue-golden altar where we kneel ...

Like canvases to sketch upon, Today is always new...

The art succeeding stretch-and-yawn is up to me and you

Where circumstance is but the scrim we splash with artistry...

Like a vast lake, blush, blue and gold unfolding overhead

Day breaks; and from yon welkin hold dawn’s fledgling wings are spread

Where, young and old alike embark, like a migrating surge

Of souls, pressing toward the mark of eternity’s verge

Where it is not made known to us how far the future splays

Until we tread the exodus of mist-like, numbered days

Like canvases to sketch upon, Today is always new

The art succeeding stretch-and-yawn is up to me and you

Where circumstance is but the scrim we splash with artistry

From mercy-granted trays that brim with opportunity

To sing a hymn, to breathe a prayer, to lend a helping hand

To be kind and humbly aware of time’s trickle of sand

Like a tree softly doffed of leaves, moment-momentum keens

The seed that grows into the sheaves that harvest-season gleans/weans

Like artists poised before pedestals as dawn hoists Today

We brush-daub-lob Originals that appear drawn away

But not forever; someday when our ‘painting-days’ are done

God will be the Appraiser, studying them, one by one

Oho, surely in light of this, there is no Commonplace

Each day is like a holy kiss from God, a gift of grace

Dawn’s debut, as it rends the air, propels eternity

Toward each one of us, bearing Soul’s immortality

Thus, whether young or old, before we start Art of Today

Not one of us should be so bold as to forget to pray

...where daybreak, like a threshold to pictures that dusk will seal

Ought first to be a blush-blue-golden altar where we kneel 

To thank God for His favours and to ask Him to direct

Where many tints and flavours taunt, flaunt, wink and interject

Then, beseech His whisper to wage, where brushstrokes heed command  

So all that remains on the page are imprints of His Hand

   

© Janet Martin

The trees are definitely being 'softly-doffed' today!

Today's post inspired in part by part of my morning Scripture reading...

Jer.17:5-10

This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,

who draws strength from mere flesh

and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;

they will not see prosperity when it comes.

They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,

in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure.

Who can understand it?

10 “I the Lord search the heart

and examine the mind,

to reward each person according to their conduct,

according to what their deeds deserve.”

Also,

Partly by a line in the book The Irrational Season

by Madeleine L'Engle

"If you were arrested as a Christian, 

would there be enough

evidence against you to convict you?"

...and partly by an immense sense of standing on a fresh canvas of Time,

as I watched the sunrise unfolding

May You ask for and sense God's Hand over yours today!

Happy Painting!

Mine involves a scrub bucket and other

fall-cleaning essentials!

(like good music!)

Like this one!

Only a Holy God

Of First Glances

If all was as pure as fall-morning's delight when earth is dipped in frost

First glance could indulge its appetite without ever weighing the cost

But Guile preys on First Glance, it seems, to captivate its prey

 Then test the quests that Want esteems with very subtle sway

 For all is not pure as fall-morn's delight, when earth is dipped in frost

Where first glance indulges its appetite without ever weighing the cost

At first glance, Guile seems to tick the right boxes

A fine façade can play tricks on the eye

But oh, my dear, be on guard for sly foxes

Tickling Thought’s tendrils of reason awry

Study the fruit of the tree, trace its branches

Past the entrancing sigh of wind through leaves

Past the impressions offered to first glances

Past the distraction attraction achieves

Guile, though it smiles, is still, just a smooth-talker

Sin, clothed in lamb’s wool does not make it pure

Vice, masquerading as Nice, is a mocker

Tempting gullible first glance with its lure

…that seems at First-Glance to tick the right boxes

Making us second guess That Still Small Voice

Whispering, ‘Oh! be aware of sly foxes

Teasing Thought’s tendrils of reason to Choice

© Janet Martin

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food 

and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, 

she took some and ate it. 

Gen.3:6

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, 

our vineyards that are in bloom.

Song of Solomon 2:15

What are the “little foxes that spoil the vine”? CQ Kids

 

It's Not What But Who You Know...

Do you know He who delights us with awe, indescribable

Gold and crimson candelabras splashed on vistas, autumnal...

Heavens, wild with glints of glory where faith waits sight's recompense

Earth’s sin-ruined Eden roaring with Relentless Evidence...

This quote “It’s not what you know but who you know”

was mentioned the other day during my Old Stone Farm House visit;

in regard, to how good connections can be invaluable when undertaking a project!

It's so beneficial to know 'the right person who knows the right person for the job' etc.!

When Jesus came to this earth He was fully human and fully God

and no matter who we know, no matter how great and talented

and helpful, it never can compare to knowing He

 who gifts and grants our abilities and talents,

and who worked the greatest work of all; our soul-salvation!

Do you know Him; 

the Saviour of the soul,

the King of kings 

and Lord of Lords?

Do you long to know Him better?

I do, and we can, each time we open His Word

and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us!

Eph.1:17-21

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 the glorious Father, may give you (us) the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation,

 so that you (we) may know him better. 

18 I pray that the eyes of your (our) heart/s may be enlightened 

in order that you (we) may know the hope to which he has called you, (us)

the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 

That power is the same as the mighty strength 

20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead 

and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 

21 far above all rule and authority, 

power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, 

not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

“THAT'S MY KING!” EXTENDED VERSION - S. M LOCKRIDGE 1970's

John 1:1 ESV

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,

and we have seen his glory,

glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Do you know the One who orders earth’s four-season carousel

He who rends night’s starry heavens with daybreak, unstoppable

He who instills seed-sized kernels with bounty of harvest-hymn

He who created and knows us with a love that will not dim

Do you know He who delights us with awe, indescribable

Gold and crimson candelabras splashed on vistas, autumnal

Heavens, wild with glints of glory where faith waits sight's recompense

Earth’s sin-ruined Eden roaring with Relentless Evidence

Do you know He who so loved us that He bore the sinner’s rod

He who paid our debt with His blood; the begotten Son of God

He who shattered Satan’s scheming, bridging death and hell’s dark rift

The Light of the world who longs for all to receive His grace-gift

Do you know the One who grants us strength beyond all human scope

He who is to every mortal, unchanging, immortal hope

He whose mercy none can fathom, whose compassion none can drain

He whose loving kindness forgives, over and over again

Do You know Him; I AM, who is without beginning or end

Builder and Ruler of Zion desires to be our Friend

He who stuns the eye with seeing and the ear with nature’s lay

He who melts hard hearts, embittered by the troubles of the day

Do you know Him, love Him, trust Him, fear , revere, His Holy Word

To You long to know Him better with devotion undeterred

Do you fix your eyes on a prize beyond this brief, (grief) broken world

For someday on clouds of Heaven, all will see I AM unfurled

© Janet Martin

It was one of those so-beautiful-it-hurt sunrises ...

With Groans too Deep For Words

Luke 21:28

Now when these things begin to happen, 

look up and lift up your heads,

 because your redemption draws near.”

We weep and pray for you, 

(With groans too deep for words)

dear, suffering fellow-believers

in Israel, as well as those in many others countries in 

Africa, Europe, and Asia😥💔🙏

Isa.30:18-21

And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, 

and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: 

for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: 

he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; 

when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, 

yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, 

but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:

21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, 

when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left...

 The Ancient of Day

The whole earth groans with pain as we wait eagerly

For Thy return and none knows when Redemption’s Day will be

Thy hope has set us free from bondage of decay

The power of the enemy cannot Thy will dismay

Thou, Beginning and End, Thou, The First and the Last

Thou, Heavenly Father and Friend, will hold Thy people fast

Thou, Salvation and Light, quells lurking dreads and fears

In Thee we put our trust; Thy might breaks bows and shatters spears

Greater art Thou in us than evil’s hate unfurled

Futile is the ruckus, of he whose kingdom is this world

This world is not the home of those who trust in Thee

Though waters roar and foam and mountains fall into the sea,

…though kingdoms crumble, oh, and nations rage and moan

You bid us to be still and know that You are God alone

Ancient Fortress and Stay, faithful Ancient of Days

In Thee we put our trust for aye; exalting Thee with praise

Come all, and trust in He Whose Coming We Revere

Stand up and lift your heads and see redemption drawing near

© Janet Martin

Rom.8:18-27

I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us.

  19The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.

  20For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, 

but because of the One who subjected it, in hope

  21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay 

and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22We know that the whole creation has been groaning together

 in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

  23Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, 

groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

  24For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. 

Who hopes for what he can already see? 

25But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.

26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. 

For we do not know how we ought to pray, 

but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.

  27And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, 

because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Psalm 46

God Is Our Refuge and Strength

(2 Kings 18:13–16; 2 Chronicles 32:1–8)

For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.a A song.

1God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in times of trouble.

2Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth is transformed

and the mountains are toppled

into the depths of the seas,

3though their waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake in the surge.

Selah

4There is a river whose streams delight the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5God is within her; she will not be moved.

God will help her when morning dawns.

6Nations rage, kingdoms crumble;

the earth melts when He lifts His voice.

7The LORD of Hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

8Come, see the works of the LORD,

who brings devastation upon the earth.

9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth;

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

He burns the shieldsb in the fire.

10“Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted over the earth.”

11The LORD of Hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

Foretaste of Forever

Because this is the week leading up to Canada's Thanksgiving Weekend

I've been pondering various angles and expressions

of true thanks-living...

1 Tim.4:1-11

Now the Spirit [a]expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith,

giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods

which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

4 For every creature of God is good,

and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;

5 for it is [b]sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

6 If you instruct the brethren in these things,

you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ,

nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine

which you have carefully followed.

7 But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things,

having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.

10 For to this end [c]we both labor and suffer reproach,

because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men,

especially of those who believe.

11 These things command and teach.

Here it is again!!

God's renewed mercy! 

Lam.3:22-23

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Thank-you, thank-you, Lord

May Thy renewed mercy 

kindle faith's renewed delight!

***

Not with begrudging acquiescence

Or forced generosity

May more than pious performance

Emulate sincerity

Not to soothe heart-parts still stony

By fulfilling duty's bid

Or to balance testimony

On an ‘invisible grid’

Nor for the sake of appearance

Earning holy brownie-points

Through meticulous adherence

To religious do's and don'ts   

But with unpretentious pleasure

And with unaffected praise

Storing treasure over treasure

Beyond mortal’s measured gaze

With devotion’s willing labor

May life's unfeigned gladness be

To love God first, then by neighbor

Because of God’s love for me

May Motive's earnest endeavor

With genuine fervor brim

In earth’s foretaste of forever

Bringing all glory to Him

© Janet Martin

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

Where Unholy Thoughts Could Play...

Ps.86:5&10-13

For You, O Lord, are kind and forgiving,

rich in loving devotion to all who call on You...

...For You are great and perform wonders;

You alone are God.

11Teach me Your way, O LORD,

that I may walk in Your truth.

Give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear Your name.

12I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

I will glorify Your name forever.

13For great is Your loving devotion to me;

You have delivered me from the depths of Sheol.

A few glimpses at what helped to inspire today's poem...

From the book George Mueller of Bristol

and The Building of Character by

Rev. J.R. Miller D.D.

Lord, where unholy thoughts could play

And tempt ‘the good I would’ to stray

Where dark despair could defeat joy

And bait worship with cunning ploy

Where judgement could bar/mar gentle grace

And would make me forget my place

Where pride, could with subtle disguise

Deceive good intention with lies

Where I am often boldly prone

To pursue int’rests of my own

Rather than do the best I can

To encourage my fellowman

Where opportunity abounds

And oft humility confounds

Where self-indulgence could creep in

And blind me to its crafty sin

While wisdom calls out in the streets

While excuse grooms its masterpiece

Where unholy thoughts could conceive

A religion of make-believe

Lest by imagination’s whim

The light that I could be grows dim

Lord, let Thy mercy hear my plea

Restore my zeal and love for Thee

Fain and vain is the good I would

Save through the power of Thy blood

Thus, may my utmost longing be

Love’s thankfulness for Christ in me

Lest, where unholy thoughts could play

I slowly, surely go astray

Bind round my neck, write on my heart

These precious words; how great Thou art

© Janet Martin

How Great Thou Art

An oldie!!

Alone With God

Lyrics by Johnson Oatman, Jr

1. When storms of life are round me beating,
   When rough the path that I have trod,
   Within my closet door retreating,
   I love to be alone with God.
   • Refrain:
     Alone with God, the world forbidden,
     Alone with God, O blest retreat!
     Alone with God, and in Him hidden,
     To hold with Him communion sweet.
2. What though the clouds have gathered o’er me?
   What though I’ve passed beneath the rod?
   God’s perfect will there lies before me,
   When I am thus alone with God.
3. ’Tis there I find new strength for duty,
   As o’er the sands of time I plod;
   I see the king in all His beauty,
   While resting there alone with God.
4. And when I see the moment nearing
   When I shall sleep beneath the sod,
   When time with me is disappearing,
   I want to be alone with God.