This Life Is Not Carefree

 

It's Not An Easy Road

This life is not carefree 

Its give-and-taking schemes 

Are not always budget-friendly 

Or mindful of our dreams 

The flying colours of 

Accomplishment’s success 

Are cradled in a fragile glove 

Of heartache and distress 

The ‘something very nice’ 

We seized with 'hip-hooray' 

Was but the laud of sacrifice 

On altars of Today 

Reminding us again 

How fundamental, trust 

Without it who could bear the pain 

Of time’s determined dust 

Emphasizing anew

We hold a gifted Strand

And life is but the avenue

Back to the Giver's Hand

Midst high-fives and low-blows 

We traipse time's strafing sod 

While weathering life’s wows and woes 

But by the grace of God 

But by the grace of God 

Easy-street, none can claim 

For if we could who would applaud 

Or call upon His name 

© Janet Martin 

All they asked was that we should 

continue to remember the poor...

Gal.2:10

What God Hath Promised (God Hath Not Promised Skies Always Blue)

You Are Loved (Don't Give Up) by Josh Groban lyrics

HE GIVETH MORE GRACE| THE LIVING STONES QUARTET

Think on These Things

 

We all have ample 'opportunity' to get caught up in

unprofitable thoughts; envy, fear, doubt, shame, spite, judgment, anxiety...

On and on it goes!

Years ago, when Victoria was part of Gems 

she brought home this verse-card.

It took up permanent residence on the fridge.

Think on these things; Not that which fosters doubt and despair’s woe 

But dwell upon the love and grace of God Whereby we go 

And think upon praiseworthy things to fill the heart with joy 

On noble, true and lovely things that no foe can destroy 

Think on these things 

Do not let thought get mired in the bog of discontent 

Or tangled in deception’s web or regret’s vain judgement 

But rather think on things that build upon the word of He 

Who will not fail no matter what our failing may be 

Think on these things 

Think of the One who sent His Son, the Lord of Heaven and earth 

Who put on man and began life in lowliest of birth 

Laid in a manger for a bed so none can envy He 

Who loved mankind unto death on the cross at Calvary 

Think on these things 

Don’t give place to the devil; he delights in fear and shame 

And a whole host of evil that draws thoughts from Jesus’ Name 

The name above all names that became the scapegoat for man 

To pay the penalty for sin that mortal never can 

Think on these things 

Think of the tree that stands between Eden and Heaven’s Throne 

The Author of the universe rejected by his own 

Has made a way that all may call upon Him and be saved 

His robe of righteousness clads servants of we, once enslaved 

Think on these things 

Think on the things that foster peace and goodwill unto men 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come to break the curse of sin 

With Soul’s salvation as a gift, not works, lest any boast 

Death’s outer darkness pierced by love and mercy’s uttermost 

Think on these things 

© Janet Martin 

Unless We Seek...

How can we gain great confidence

In seasons of distress

Or find hope and deliverance

Without God’s promises

How can we know God’s promises

If we, worry-inclined

Still try to fill heart-emptiness

Through channels of the mind

How can man’s ignorance maintain

The things we ought to think

How can Living Water sustain

If we don’t stop to drink

How can we think on purer things

If we have never sought

The richer and the surer things

That the Great Teacher taught

How can a ship without a sail

Be steered from rock and reef

How can a man survive the gale

Without anchored belief

How can belief be absolute

It never can unless

The seed of faith has taken root

Within God’s promises

How can the seed of faith take root

And yield sweet recompense

Only when repentance bears fruit

In meek obedience

How can obedience begin

A life of happiness

When we find kind assurance in

God’s faithful promises

How can we find His promises

To empower the weak

Alas, we never can unless

Unless we truly seek

© Janet Martin

Seek and ye shall find...
Matt.7:7

 

2 Peter 1:2-10 KJV

 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

³ According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

⁴ Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

⁵ And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

⁶ And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

⁷ And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

⁸ For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

¹⁰ Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Seek (don't just sit)

Seek Him, and we shall find

Effort sustains reward

Faith’s diligence, though vision-blind

Sees fitly through God’s word

Seek Him, not worldly sense

Often opinion-bold

But dwell upon faith's recompense

Of riches yet untold

Seek Him, and weep with joy

When woe increases need

And we with meeker hearts reply

That Christ is Lord indeed

Seek Him, lest unawares

Banking on what we feel

We fall into the deadly snares

Set by visual appeal

Seek Him, while Time remains

Do not some Bygone grieve

For the mercy of God sustains

All who trust and believe

Seek while He may be found

Someday, ah who knows when

The trumpet of the Lord will sound

And what will we say then

© Janet Martin  

Worth It All...

I commented to someone this morning how the eagerness and excitement
of the Sunday School children 

(looking forward to dressing up like people of old on that First Christmas)

makes 'it' (the extra effort etc.) so worth it all!

My thoughts suddenly flashed to our Heavenly Father looking upon His children,

where many mourn and suffer more than laugh

yet oh, how He knows it was/will be worth it all!

(Now if we are (His) children, then we are heirs--

heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,

 if indeed we share in his sufferings 

in order that we may also share in his glory. Rom.8:17)

click this link for the story behind the above song

Then when we bow our hearts and heads and whisper ‘I believe’

When we say ‘not my will but thine’, His purpose to achieve

When we count it all joy to bear life’s trials for His sake

Knowing that perseverance comes through trying of our faith

When we without miserly bent give more than ‘just enough’

And trust in what-so state we are to be content and love

When hope that does not make ashamed makes worth the tender toll

Where His grace is sufficient for the carriage/courage of the soul

And when He sees trust prove belief until we Hear Him call

And we stand face to face, both weeping ‘it was worth it all’

Then we will touch His scars as He wipes final tears away

As He receives the glory for the price He had to pay

…then, when we do not understand His perfect reasoning

We ought to come to Bethlehem and bow before the King

And there behold the Lamb of God who came to take away

The sins of this world so that we may dwell with Him for aye

© Janet Martin

 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 23:6

To Know...

My sister-in-law now waits to see her dear mom again in 'land that is fairer than day'...
after they laid her to rest last week.

To live well is...

To know we did the best we could with kind humility

To know God works for our good no matter what may be

To know that soon we too will follow those whose footsteps cease

Into the faithful arms of God…to know this kind of peace

Brings courage to the harder parts that we are called to bear

Brings comfort to our heart of hearts and sweetness to the tear

Brings purpose to the passage that runs through the great unknown

Until we all will gather before God around His throne

© Janet Martin

2 Tim. 1: 12

…for I know whom I have believed, 

and am persuaded that he is able 

to keep that which I have committed 

unto him against that day.