Endurance Test (or For Faith's Athletes and Soldiers)

Some people pick a 'word of the year' at the beginning of each year

to focus on and learn from throughout the year ahead...

I never have but it dawned on me recently that in the past year

I have pondered one word more than ever before. 

This word is 'endure'.

To endure is to remain faithful at all cost!

To endure we cannot quit!

just as it is impossible to endure without conscious effort

 a physical workout,  so too, the spiritual!

I am so thankful for a patient and forgiving Heavenly Father!

Ps.36:7-9

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust 

under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied 

with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink 

from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.

Matt.24. 12-13

And because lawlessness will abound, 

the love of many will grow cold.

 13But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

2 Tim.2:3

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

 let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles,

 and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. 

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. 

 Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners,

 so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

True believers are athletes and soldiers for Christ.

Each day tests faith's fitness and endurance!

Without the whole armour of God we will be unable to

withstand the enemy!

The gift of salvation is not a

kick-back-and-relax,

eat-drink-and-be-merry grace!!

It is warfare

It is a grueling race!

It is not for the faint of heart and soul.

It is impossible without God!

It demands time-out

with head bowed,

to 'be still and know that He is God!' Ps.46:10

It is He who 'restores our souls'! Ps.23

from His rivers of pleasure

and fountain of life! Ps.36:8-9

Want is a great enemy unless it is the

meek want to endure ruthless rivalry

as we 'trust in His holy name'  Ps.33:21

Lord, empower us daily with this declaration of old from Ps. 23

The Lord is my Shepherd;

I shall not want'

Summer's garden offers a smorgasbord of delights,

...but these pale in comparison to what Christ offers through his Word and Spirit.

Want wars with faith, with hope and love

It roars with 'never quite enough'

'Come unto Me' the Saviour pleads

My strength and rest supplies Thy needs

This world unfurls glitter and noise

It boasts a smorgasbord of joys

Each one a wind that passes by

Each one helpless to satisfy

Want tests the will of humankind

Who we love best, heart-soul-and-mind

It tries endurance without pause

Till we too cry, 'Lord, plead my cause' Ps.35

Thy Word, oh Lord, restores the saint

It giveth power to the faint Isa.40:29

It fixes eyes on faith's reward

Endurance waits upon the Lord

 Then casts off  sin's encum'bring snare

For these hinder the gates of  prayer

Where God rallies faith's troops again

To run with endurance. Amen

Do not lose heart; do not despair

But cast upon the LORD each care

Remember when rivals molest

This is but faith's endurance test

© Janet Martin 

Rivals come in all shapes and sizes...

Some bold and blaring;

some like sneaky little foxes!

Let's faithfully seek and trust God who cares for us! 

Let Us Run by Alex MacQueen (Sung by Christina Macmillan)

Oh!! and last but not least... Happy August!

Hope, What a Precious Word

Without hope all we need is lost! with hope (in God) all we need is found!

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

and why art thou disquieted in me?

hope thou in God:

for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. 

Ps.42:5

Today's poem is inspired in part by the above verse, 

and in part by our message yesterday morning from Ps.23

as God ministered to His flock through the preaching of His Word.

As we hope in Him our good Shepherd restores our souls! 

  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for...Heb.11:1

Romans 8:24-25
For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all.

 Who hopes for what he can already see? 

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

2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Hope-what a precious word; 'hope thou in God' Amen

Hope, the substance that keeps faith stirred to trust the more, and then

With strength and joy restored, hope in God sings and sings

For they that wait upon the Lord will mount on eagle's wings

A Shepherd to the soul; when cares and sorrows press

Hope cheers us on toward a goal only faith can possess

Where wayward paths increase and fattened feelings taunt

Hope eclipses desire with peace and cries 'I shall not want'

A Comforter and Friend; unyielding, in the fray

Hope arms and anchors; does not bend to 'did God really say?

But with glad confidence beneath His rod reproved/behooved

Hope replies 'God is my defense and I will not be moved''

A Rock that does not shift through howling gales of change

Hope anchors us, lest we should drift and let sight, faith estrange

As God tests wish and whim with patience-honing ways

Take up hope's cross and follow Him with persevering praise

Effort and rest, in sync; seeking God's kingdom first

As the deer pants for brooks to drink, Hope in God slakes faith's thirst

And never disappoints; His gift of grace enough

Hope is the goodness that anoints faith with mercy's great love

© Janet Martin

Eph.2:4-5

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ

 (by grace you have been saved),...

I'd Rather Have Jesus - Amos Raber (ALASKA)

May Today Be...

And just like that it's Summer

Happy First Day of Summer!

May today be a hymn of praise

to He who grants all of our days!

Isa.61:10-11

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
 For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise 

to spring forth before all the nations.

After yesterday's wind and rain the garden, adorned with nature's jewels,

 springs forth with vivid hymns of praise!

May today be, in Bygone's trove, 

above all else, a cherished thought

A gem in a collection of 

learning to love the way we ought

A token where devotion crowns

the tempo that unravels days

Composing from hope's ups and downs

a memento of grateful praise

May today be in reverie 

a masterpiece Past mediates

Into the kind of poetry 

ink never quite encapsulates

Arpeggios that waltz and brood, 

o'er vistas of echoes unbound

A breathless sense of having stood 

with shoes removed on holy ground

May today, as moments are spent, 

augment inestimable worth 

An intentional investment 

in treasures not beheld on earth 

As, grace upon grace grants no lack

Because God keeps his promises

May today be, when looking back

A frame filled with God's faithfulness 

Janet Martin

These Are Dark Days...

In Times Like These

In times like these it would be very easy to fall prey to fear but...

2 Pet.1:3-10

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness 

through the knowledge of Him who called us by His owna glory and excellence.

  4Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, 

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,

 now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue;

 and to virtue, knowledge;

  6and to knowledge, self-control; 

and to self-control, perseverance; 

and to perseverance, godliness; 

7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; 

and to brotherly kindness, love.

  8For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, 

they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive

 in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

  9But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness,

 having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

10Therefore, brothers, strive to make your calling and election sure.

 For if you practice these things you will never stumble, 

11and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom 

of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

These are dark days of doubting God

Of lack of fear and reverence

For He, who through His own shed blood

Purchased mankind's deliverance

From death and hell; sin's penalty

That only Jesus justifies 

He alone sets captive souls free

And fits us for Redemption's Prize

...for all have sinned and fall short of

The glory of God, kind and true

Holy, faithful, and rich in love

He helps us love each other too

When days are dark with doubt and dread

And evil's bold and blinded boast

Mocks or disregards the Godhead

Of Father, Son and Holy Ghost 

These are dark days of unbelief

In our Lord's glorious return

When He will triumph over grief

And pain; when this old world will burn

And Faith will will behold all things new

No suffering or forecasts grim

As He who IS Faithful and True 

Unfurls eternity with Him 

Janet Martin

Rev.21:1-8

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, 

for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. 

Also there was no more sea.

  2Then I, [a]John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven

 from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 

3And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying,

 “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,

 and He will dwell with them,

 and they shall be His people. 

God Himself will be with them and be their God.

  4And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes;

 there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. 

There shall be no more pain, 

for the former things have passed away.”

5Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” 

And He said [b]to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

6And He said to me, “It[c] is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7He who overcomes [d]shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8But the cowardly, [e]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

If it were not so I would have told you!

Jesus-

John 14:2

Redemption's Groaning Gate Flings Wide...

 My sister Lucy's granddaughter picked these wildflowers for me the other day...

I don't think she noticed the tears I choked back as I was honoured

by her innocent eagerness.

The mug seemed the perfect vase for my utter joy and sorrow!

Below is a collection of verses to treasure as they comfort and cheer the soul

and remind us of what matters most!

Psalm 25:14

The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.

Psalm 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;

 the LORD gives grace and glory;

 He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

Psalm 115:13

He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.

Psalm 5:12

For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous; 

You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

Ps.69:15

But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

Ps.119:153-160

153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me:

 for I do not forget thy law.

154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: 

quicken me according to thy word.

155 Salvation is far from the wicked: 

for they seek not thy statutes.

156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord:

 quicken me according to thy judgments.

157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; 

yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.

158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; 

because they kept not thy word.

159 Consider how I love thy precepts:

 quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.

160 Thy word is true from the beginning: 

and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

 

Redemption's groaning gate flings wide and a new day is born...

A multitude of mercies smiles upon a world sin-worn... 

Redemption's groaning gate flings wide and a new day is born

A multitude of mercies smiles upon a world sin-worn 

The Author of Salvation who appoints what none can trace

Once more anoints creation with un-stoppered love and grace

Regret, remorse, repentance spar within the human heart 

God's holiness and man's pride are a humble prayer apart 

Oh Lord, rebuke my erring will, waiting to cause offence 

So the purposes You fulfill/instill may have preeminence 

The truth of your salvation comforts all who fear You, LORD 

Imbue deep dedication to the counsel of Your Word

Lest, for the lack of earnest heed I look away and drift

Forgetting who supplies my need with truths that do not shift 

Delight thrills all who love Your law with thoughts too rare to speak

My spirit thirsts for constant awe, but oh, my flesh is weak

Prone to descend the slippery slope of half-truth to appease

The carnal foe to Living Hope with 'come soul, take thine ease '

Each edict of your Word is true, where faith sees but in part  

Lord, help me learn it through and through and hide it in my heart 

So that I do not grieve you, Saviour, but with yielded will

Reverence the Shield of Your favour as Your mercies spill

Janet Martin  

 

 

The Other Side of Hug-and-Kiss...

There is only one way to remain grounded in Things Above; in the unseen...

by seeking faithfully to be found faithful!

Remembering the reward for faithfulness is veiled on earth...

1 Corinthians 4:2

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

James 1:25

But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom,

 and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—

he will be blessed in what he does.

Matthew 25:21

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! 

You have been faithful with a few things;

 I will put you in charge of many things. 

Enter into the joy of your master!’

Faithfulness is like our 'marriage vow' to God,

forsaking all others, as long as we live,

 in the matter of fidelity and allegiance to Him

with love second to none

because we have resolved All For Christ!

Just as in earthly marriage as time goes by 

and human nature rears its unlovely head,

 we don't always 'feel' the passion

and excitement as in the beginning, 

but pray it is replaced with

a deeper, matured awareness that faithfulness

must/will weather the highs and lows that are bound to be,

'Well done, Thou good and faithful servant' 

is no small fete to win.

It requires daily surrender to our Heavenly Father,

our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,

and to the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer.

Faithfulness forgives and accepts forgiveness.

Faithfulness is a firm and humble obedience,

a penitent repentance when we stumble/sin,

a modest presentation of Self,

so we may give God the glory

for making possible the boast

of our salvation. 

***

Today we are attending the wedding of my niece

and we will witness the vows they make;

'till death do us part'

We will hear them speak before God

the words that bind two into one;

Matthew 19:6
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 

Therefore what God has joined together, 

let man not separate.”

A wedding day is a day of joy and celebration and grave solemnity

as vows made on earth are sealed in heaven.

It is no laughing matter, This

The other side of hug-and-kiss

Of being true no matter what

When tempted to undo love's knot

Love's vows are not of fickle font

But transcend every wish and want

Because these words, 'till death doth part'

Are etched forever on God's heart

When hug and kiss is interspersed

With human foible's selfish worst

Startled, we start to humbly learn

Faithfulness grants no quick return

...but refines rose-coloured romance

With love, that would not stand a chance

Without steadfast commitment to

He who made us 'no longer two'

'A three-strand cord is hard to break'

'Love bears all things' love's highest stake

With God 'all things' are possible

Without, love is soon miserable

For self times two is not enough

To satisfy the ways of love

How harsh is disillusioned bliss;

The other side of hug-and-kiss

But oh, how lovely in return

Is love that is willing to learn

And learn again, the meaning of

A patient, kind and faithful love

For tis no laughing matter; this

The other/weathered side of hug-and-kiss

But is, when all is done and told

Life's greatest beauty to behold

...as the covenant of 'I do'

Remembers, one cannot be two

When faithfulness seeks no excuse

To sever what no man can loose

© Janet Martin

For those who are seeking truth

and maybe reasons to re-resolve to remain faithful

first and foremost to God, some helpful links below

 Dr. Joseph Webb on the truth about I Do, based on God's Word!

Why talk about divorce and remarriage in the Church Part 1, 

Can the blood of Jesus cover over my past divorce so I can remarry? Part 2

Whose servant is your pastor? Part 3

Pastors: please watch your doctrine on divorce and remarriage Part 4

Teach the truth on divorce and remarriage Part 5

Divorce and remarriage: what's your church teaching? Part 6

If I repented from having had a divorce, can the blood of Jesus cover me so I can remarry? Part 7

Are all second marriages after divorce adultery? Part 8

Can divorced and remarried couples In the Church serve God too? Part 9

Can divorced and remarried couples in the Church be believers too? Part 10

Can Christian divorced and remarried couples love Jesus too? Part 11

What repentance is and the mess of divorce and remarriage In the Church Part 12 

Christian divorced and remarried couples In the Church Part 13

If my spouse left me, why Should I Stay Single? Part 14

more HERE or HERE 

or more from Dr. Joseph Webb  HERE 

or this;

What Makes a Marriage Legal in the Sight of God 

Is my first marriage still standing even if I was not a Christian then?

I got a divorce and remarried all before coming to faith in Christ

I'm a Christian Divorced and married, am I living in adultery?

My first marriage ended; now I'm divorced but I'd to marry a godly Christian

Divorce and Remarriage and the Cost of Following Christ

Of Painful Joy or Of Boundless Love

 

Ps. 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley

 of the shadow of death,

 I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

 thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

1 Pet.1:6

In this you greatly rejoice, 

though now for a little while, 

if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,..

Whether on faith's mountaintop

or in the dark, lonely valley

the incomprehensible, steadfast love of God abides

to minister to body and soul's need 

Tell Me the Old, Old Story

This is a poem I am still in the process of learning...

through deep disappointments

and divine epiphanies 🙏

There is no limit to the love of God

Its height and depth thought cannot comprehend

Whether beneath the guerdon of its rod

Or in a garden where soft breezes wend

His love cannot be measured or contained

Nor with ingenious eloquence explained

The love of God is beyond reckoning

He knows the heart of man is vile indeed

The hub of prideful Fancy’s beckoning

Left unbroken, would choke faith’s mustard seed

So, lest we covet what we cannot keep

Faith’s Great Perfecter runs love’s plowshares deep

…with piercing love, He works for our good

Ah, pray for faith to see beyond the part

That is often sadly misunderstood

While He prepares the test-plots of the heart

Until faith’s finely-tilled furrows are sown

With seed that grows for His glory alone

We are the sheep of His pasture. He tends

The welfare of His flock with rod and staff

He rescues, rebukes, comforts and defends

No cost too great to work on our behalf

Because the love of the Good Shepherd knows

The dire danger of wolves in sheep’s clothes

The love of God produces painful joys

For He too faced the Tempter’s crafty charms

A shrewd maneuverer of deadly ploys

To blind us to love’s everlasting arms

To draw us from His word that girds and feeds

Thus, with both rod and staff, love intercedes

Then, for a season, if need be, love grieves

The proving of faith’s shield to quench sin’s darts

Until at last with patience, God achieves

His joy complete, only His love imparts

As the heart yields He overflows its sod

With bounty from the boundless love of God

© Janet Martin

As for This Fellow...

...as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is!

John 9:29

Amazing Grace

Do we listen when He asks us

To trust Him implicitly

On the roadway to Damascus

Have we been struck blind, to see? 

Have we committed to follow

Jesus; to 'fight the good fight'

Or do His precepts ring hollow

Because we still walk by sight 

Does 'the joy still set before us'

Satisfy our cup of grief

Does faith's Canaan-land implore us

To guard against unbelief

Has our stubborn will been broken 

As we looked on Calvary

Have we echoed Wonder spoken

'I was blind but now I see'

Have we fixed our eyes on Jesus

Has 'this fellow' been revealed;

He whose blood-bought pardon frees us

He, by whose wounds we are healed 

Is 'this fellow' our Saviour?

Has transformation begun?

Turning sight-governed behaviour 

Into faith's 'Thy will be done' 

Has Belief sight's barrier broken

By 'this fellow' humbly/wholly awed

Have our eyes of faith been opened  

To behold the Son of God

Dear, once-blind-but-now-I-see-man

Keep your courage undeterred

You will not fall prey to man's plan

Through the keeping of His Word 

Janet Martin 

 

John 9:25

He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. 

One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

No Suitable Substitute

For the last while on Sunday mornings
our teaching messages have been from 1 John,
and have kindled many a meditation
of both somber evaluation and profound encouragement
leading to many coordinating passages throughout scripture.

Eccles.12:13-14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments:
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment,
with every secret thing,
whether it be good,
or whether it be evil.

Ps.51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise.

1 Sa.15:22
So Samuel said:
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.

1 John 5:3
This is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments.

Disobedience/sin separated Adam and Eve
from their perfect relationship with God. Gen. 3
Sin made God sorry that He had made man; Gen.6:5-8

Sin kept Moses from the Promised Land. Num. 20:12

...and ultimately sin took God's only Son, Jesus to the cross
to be the eternal Sacrifice for sin;
to purchase our pardon, for all who repent and believe.
Jesus, who pled to God the Father,
if it be possible let this cup pass from me;
nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will... Matt.26:39
And Jesus was obedient to death, even death on a cross. Phil. 2:8

Thus, by the grace of God we can be saved,
not by good works lest we boast,
but for good works God prepared in advance for us to do.
Eph. 2:8-10

The old quote 'actions speak louder than words' rings true!
How hollow are the words 'I love you' without the fruit of deeds to prove it!

Oh Lord as we begin a new week help us anew
to trust in You with all our hearts,
and to fear you and keep Your commandments!

No substitute could suffice to wash away our sin, but Jesus' blood. Heb.10:4-10

No substitute, outside of obedience, can bear witness to the righteousness of God in us. 1 John 2:3

No substitute will do
No pretense will suffice
Nor lenient logic reason through
Faith in God’s proving price

No joy will be complete
No noble cause defend
No clause corrupts the mercy seat
Of God, both Judge and Friend

God, faithful to forgive
Beholds the heart alone
He witnesses the fruit we live
And thus, the tree is known

There is no substitute
No judgement-proof façade
Obedience is the pure fruit
Of love and faith in God

© Janet Martin