Showing posts with label cross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cross. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Faithfulness's Fitness/Litmus Test (or All For Christ)


Today's song and poem, a very personal challenge!!

Ps.130:1-4
Out of the depths
I cry to You, O LORD!
2O Lord, hear my voice;
let Your ears be attentive to my plea for mercy.
3If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities,
then who, O Lord, could stand?
4But with You there is forgiveness,
so that You may be feared.


 





Am I equipped with the Full Armor, (that without, none can endure)
Where an unscrupulous charmer tosses many a lovely lure

Am I willing to be accused falsely, yet answer not a word


Ready, no matter what the cost, self-sacrificed, to follow Him

Knowing, for all who truly love Him, God works out all things for good
Oh, am I ready to portray Him, with faith all but Jesus-blind

© Janet Martin

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.


Eph.5:1-17
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, 
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, 
let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, 
which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 
5 For [a]this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man,
 who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things
 the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 
7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
Walk in Light

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. 
Walk as children of light 
9 (for the fruit of the [b]Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
 but rather [c]expose them. 
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 
13 But all things that are [d]exposed are made manifest by the light,
 for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says:

“Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”
Walk in Wisdom

15 See then that you walk [e]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is...


 




Saturday, April 8, 2023

What The World Knows Nothing Of...


Sometimes the sorrow for those who do not believe, love and obey God
is almost more than I can bear,
and lest misunderstood, I come across as having all the answers
and everything 'right', far from it!!
but the one/only answer I have right, is by the grace of God 
through the cross of Jesus Christ;
Gal.6:14
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.







Fear, in this fallen world seeks to usurp faith, hope and trust
Without God’s Word to undergird, to guide, rebuke and cheer
How could we bear love’s cross of care or suffer what we must
But for the glory waiting in the Aftermath of here

Where the foothills of Heaven groan with sin, sorrow and strife
Where we, but brief sojourners because earth is but a vale
Need He who rolled away the stone from a tomb filled with Life
The life that will abide; even in death it will not fail

Ah, raise thy gaze above the worldly ways of wanton will
Cling to the sickle of God’s Word to keep thy conscience pure
And drink from the wellspring where Living Waters spill and spill
To sustain and refresh the soul committed to endure

…and tremble at His Word; pray for a spirit, poor, contrite
So, God will look on us and fill us with riches untold;
Green pastures and still waters to restore the soul’s delight
His perfect peace, his joy to be our strength, worth more than gold

Pray for this fallen world, mired in cesspools of despair
Ah pray for those who do not know the goodness of God’s love
That they may come to know He who laid mercy’s coffers bare
Upon the cross to offer what the world knows nothing of

By God's grace alone we are saved; a gift so none can boast
Shall we then continue in sin so His grace may abound
Shall we mock, as it were the One who gave His Uttermost
Oh, may it never be, when once lost, we are found

Surely, goodness and mercy will follow us all our days
Until we dwell with Him by whose resurrection, we live
Where we will never weary of perfecting worship's praise
As we look on Him whom we pierced, and He replied 'forgive'

© Janet Martin

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. 
Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 
26And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.
 Do you believe this?”

Isa.66:2
Has not my hand made all these things, 
and so they came into being?” declares the LORD.
 “These are the ones I look on with favor:
 those who are humble and contrite in spirit, 
and who tremble at my word.




Thursday, April 6, 2023

Not Seeing Yet Believing...(or, See, Lifted O'er the Dregs of Desperation)


1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
 but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.



See, lifted o'er the dregs of desperation wrought by sin
The cross of Calvary, hope's resolution to begin
He who knew no sin became sin, so sinners may become
The righteousness of Christ, the cornerstone of Christendom 

See there the tree that wears the blood that turns sin's scarlet white
And bears the One who loves beyond comprehension's vague flight 
He who endured the cross, beheld, while being nailed-engraved 
Beyond the nature of love's call to all who would be saved 

See Him suffer then die, so you and I may look and live
Hear Him, while being crucified, cry out, 'Father, forgive' 
He did not hold against us a debt we could never pay
Then praise the name of Jesus who washes our sins away

See, the grave where they laid Him, it is empty, as He said
Death and hell overthrown by He who arose from the dead
See, lifted o'er the dregs of desperation, Dread's reprieve 
The power of the cross; salvation for all who believe 

© Janet Martin

Heb12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, 
the author and perfecter of our faith, 
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, 
scorning its shame, and sat down 
at the right hand of the throne of God


Philippians 2:8
And being found in appearance as a man, 
He humbled Himself and became obedient to death--
even death on a cross.


that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," 
and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, 
you will be saved.


 

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Does It Not (Bid Thought to Marvel)


 


Grace and peace to you from God our Father 
and the Lord Jesus Christ,
 4 who gave himself for our sins 
to rescue us from the present evil age, 
according to the will of our God and Father, 
5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. 
Amen. 
Gal.1:3-5


Does it not bid thought to marvel
He who knew no sin became
Sin's sacrifice for all people
To redeem us through His Name

Does it not stir adoration 
For He whose blood was out-poured
Once for all, the soul's salvation
Wrought, through Jesus Christ the Lord

Does it not stun contemplation
That the Son of God should be
Humbled to death's meanest station
On a cross for all to see

Crushed beneath the weight He carries
Sinless, bearing all our sins
For we, beneficiaries
Of His holy sufferings 

Does it not undo vainglory
To view hate's presumptuousness
While love, clothed in bloodshed, gory
Wove faith's robes of righteousness

Does it not renew surrender
Does it not steal our breath
To behold the soul's Defender 
Obedient unto death

Look, where love's manifestation
Suffered voluntarily  
Does it not stir adoration
From the likes of you and me

Jesus Christ gave Himself for us
Bearing Pardon's Albatross 
So that we we may be victorious
Through the power of the cross

Does it not bid thought to marvel
At the hope the cross affords
Through sin's sacrifice so royal-
King of Kings and Lord of lords

   © Janet Martin















Monday, April 3, 2023

A Meek Appeal


“I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh
and give you a heart of flesh. 
And I will put my Spirit within you . . . 
and you shall be my people, 
and I will be your God”







Forgive my apathy
My soul, not wholly awed
Forgetful, where a blood-drenched tree
Extolled the Lamb of God

Forgive my wayward eye
From Cal’vry’s silhouette
Where grief does not compose a cry
Of true repentance yet

Forgive my easy loss
Of sorrow for my sin
Forbid, I gaze upon the cross
Yet bar the Door within

Forgive my errant whim
Desires, prone to pride
Unshaken, as I gaze on Him
With Self, not yet denied

Forgive my lack of zeal
For Your sufficient grace
Draw me back to the cross to feel
Your blood drops on my face

Forbid that I should bow
O Christ, beneath thy Blood
Only to return to sin’s slough
Like a pig to the mud

Remove my heart of stone
Break through my ache of skin
With renewed awe for You alone
Who takes away my sin

Forgive me when I seek
The willing ways of men 
Lord, enter in where flesh is weak
And make me strong again 

© Janet Martin






Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Redemption-wrought Renewal


Surely all the suffering of sorrow, sickness, loss
would get the best of us without God's comfort through the cross
Praise Him; the best this life affords is free to one and all
Salvation through the sacrifice that saves us from The Fall
and breaks the curse of death and hell the hour we believe
renewing faith's hope day by day, through life yet to receive

John 3:16 (NKJV)
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.


2 Cor.4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. 
Even though our outward man is perishing, 
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 
 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, 
is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 
 while we do not look at the things which are seen, 
but at the things which are not seen. 
For the things which are seen are temporary, 
but the things which are not seen are eternal.


Renewed day by day
Where challenges we face
Would draw hope’s anchored joy away
Without God’s love and grace
Without His promises
To cheer our mortal clay
Without His perfect no and yes
To comfort as we pray
Without the confidence
Of Him, in full control
Without Calvary’s Providence
To save the deathless soul

...till the dark glass between
Faith and Sight melts away
The glory of what/Who is Unseen
Renews us day by day

© Janet Martin






Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Merciful Metamorphosis (or This Cross We Bear)


Without complete surrender we grapple
at times with the goodness of God's higher thoughts and ways!
Oh, may we pray to be like Abraham of old...
Romans 4:19-21,
"And being not weak in faith, he (Abraham) considered not his own body
 now dead when he was about a hundred years old, 
neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. 
He staggered not at the promises of God; through unbelief;
 but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.


This cross we bear of constant care,
Of disciple-obedience
Of hurt and hope’s heart-hungry prayer
Of conscientious diligence
Of yielding Self’s determined will
And forsaking the world for Christ
To suffer for His sake until
Every idol is sacrificed…

…of walking as children of light
Living the way that Jesus did
(For we are precious in the sight
…of proving what is pleasing to
The One who gave His best for we
Cursed with the blight of Eden’s rue
Who benefit from Calvary

Our cross of care pales when compared
To the cross on Golgotha’s hill
Then pray no suffering is spared
Until love works its miracle
And He who sees the heart beholds
Refinement’s glory taking place
As beneath life’s cross God unfolds
Awestruck awareness of His grace

© Janet Martin

Eph.5:6-11

Let no one deceive you with empty words,
for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7Therefore do not be partakers with them.
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light
9(for the fruit of the [b]Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
10finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather [c]expose them.






Monday, April 11, 2022

This Is Love's Power and Glory

To the Christian the power of God;
 His Word that in the beginning created the heavens and the earth,
His love that brought salvation to the world,
His Son who suffered our sin's penalty,
 are first thoughts that come to mind when hearing the word 'power'!

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, 
because it is the power of God 
that brings salvation to everyone who believes: 
first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.



The Power of the Cross-Keith and Kristyn Getty



Death could not subjugate Life Everlasting
Hatred could never be greater than love
The empty cross was hope’s graphic forecasting
Christ shed the grave like a linen glove

‘"Tetelestai!" "It is finished!" Love’s story
Nothing can thwart; the tomb’s stone could not stay
‘Thine is the kingdom, the power and glory
Forever.' Nothing can take it away

No one can nullify the sinner’s pardon
No one the King of kings can overthrow
After the battle of wills in The Garden
Christ, through submission vanquished hope’s dark foe

Redemption’s scarlet flood flows through the ages
Nothing can abrogate Atonement’s Gift
Though scorn is violent and hate, tenacious
Hope is an anchor that nothing can shift

Though wars unfold horrors, brutal and gory
These are the fulfilling of prophecy
Before the King of Kings appears in glory
To dispel evil in a fiery sea

Death, is the shadow that each breath is casting
Death, though it seems to have the final word
To those whose hope is in Life Everlasting
Know God’s love and justice is undeterred

Love’s hands, through which hatred’s daggers were driven
Love’s brow thorn-torn; Love’s body crucified
Love’s blood, the flood whereby sins are forgiven
This is the love that stripped death of its pride

This is love’s power and glory we honour
Name above all names, Love, mighty to save
This is the power above any other
This is the glory that shatters the grave

Death cannot subjugate Life Everlasting
Hatred will never be greater than love
The empty cross is hope’s symbol, forecasting
Graves that will be shed like a linen glove

© Janet Martin



Thursday, October 29, 2020

Universal Call/Cross


(can you whole-heartedly and honestly sing the hymn below without reserve?!)
Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite when I sing it.
I tend to get kinda stuck in My Ways😒



Nothing speaks quite so powerfully as a person's choices.
When we watch someone lay all of their own personal desires
on the altar of daily sacrifice to wholly follow Him.
We have a young man with a young family who is about to start fulltime
service at our church after leaving a secure job to answer God's call.
Will you pray for him (Andreas) and his family in this leap  step of faith...
And while you do could you add another man (Gary) and his family to your prayers,
joining our church family in January.
The rebuilding at WBC, around the hole Ron left begins...

Matt. 16:24 
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

Luke 9:23
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, 
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.


There is a universal call to all who love God’s Son 
Though He has paid the debt for sin the cost has just begun 
For all who follow in His steps must be willing to die 
To the desires of the flesh and their own will deny 

There is a cross not made of wood that we are called to take 
To do the things disciples should for their dear Master’s sake 
Not to adhere to high decrees some prominence to prove 
But to follow where His call leads with no motive/credit but love 

There is a thorough reckoning that someday will come due 
Where reply to His beckoning is more than verbal spew 
Whether we are courageous or remain somewhat aloof 
Our answer spills in pages we fill up with Living Proof 

There is a universal call to repent and believe 
And oh, how very beautiful is Faith’s Gift we receive 
Where, though Redemption’s price is paid and salvation is free 
The cost is still cross-shaped as we respond to ‘follow Me’ 

© Janet Martin 

Friday, April 10, 2020

I Ask Not For Understanding...Just Faith

While I was writing this I found out about a barn fire in our community, 
I read Today's Daily Bread devotion: below is the first paragraph:
In the Middle Eastern country where they live, Adrian and his family suffer persecution for their faith. Yet, through it all, they demonstrate Christ’s love. Standing in his church courtyard, which was pummeled by bullets when terrorists used it as training ground, he said, “Today is Good Friday. We remember that Jesus suffered for us on the cross.” And suffering, he continued, is something that believers in Jesus there understand. But his family chooses to remain in their homeland: “We’re still here, still standing.”...
I prayed for my mom who this week was tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. She is doing reasonably well (over the worst, we hope) and is in the 3rd week of Quarantine. Please can you remember her in your prayers and pray for dad's protection?! 
I revisited a WOW-some Message I listened to yesterday by Dr. Charles Stanley...
 

I talked to hubby and daughter Emily on the phone for a while...about life!
...and in all of it found pieces to press into poem.
Praying this Good Friday, that soul-searching turns into worship in spirit and in truth...
 (and for my Russian friend/friends)
The STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL version below!

I ask not for understanding but for faith to ‘just believe
Taking at God’s Word His promise of the life we will receive
Yes indeed, we will have trouble, but His Name is like a tow’r
Standing firm amidst the rubble; the cross cannot lose its pow’r

I ask not for understanding but for faith to ‘just obey
To take up the cross of service and to follow all the way
If the gain of this world’s treasure claims the price-tag of the soul

I ask not for understanding but for faith to ‘just endure
Time is like a little teardrop on the cheek of Evermore
Where salvation grants Hope’s Wings that help us soar above earth’s loss
As we bow in humble worship in the shadow of the cross

© Janet Martin

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Take Heart; The Cross Is Not The End


 Life since COVID-19 makes us really miss
'the good old days' doesn't it?
But these days many are turning to or turning back to God
What do we choose, suffering to draw us nearer to God
or ease and prosperity with God forgotten?!
 This Easter season we are without excuse
to kneel at the cross!


Love comes in many forms
So does hate
Life’s spirit-testing storms
Will abate
Nothing stays where it is
Forever
The bond that fastens This
Will sever

The loom that weaves and weds
Life’s duty
Entwines contrasting threads
For beauty
Take heart, when dark of night
Compasses
God’s everlasting light
Surpasses

When life turned upside down
Unsettles
And longing is a crown
Of nettles
When courage is a groaned
Surrender
God still abides; enthroned
Defender

Love comes in many forms
Staff and rod
Beneath the testing storms
Hand of God
Take heart, this woebegone
Hurt and loss
Pales in comparison
To Christ's cross

The cross is not the end
Then take heart
The eyes of faith, my friend
See in part
When death full sight imparts
We will find
A mist of broken hearts
Left behind


© Janet Martin


 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
    In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?

 In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise— 
 in God I trust and am not afraid.
    What can man do to me?

Psalm 56:3-4-10-11