Praise God For You, Dearest of Dads

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; 

so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: 

and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord:

and he delighteth in his way.

Ps.37:3,4 & 23

Today is the birthday of a man who

I love and respect/admire beyond words!

Happy 84th Birthday, Dad

Praise God, when you were young you gave your life to Him then sought

To walk in paths of righteousness, by His Word led and taught

A lamp unto your feet, a light to shine upon a way

You could not see but knew the Truth will never lead astray

Praise God for the good man whose steps are ordered by the Lord

Who knows, without God's armour he will fall prey to the world 

Who loves the tender Shepherd and the Saviour of the soul

And seeks to honour Him as he presses toward faith's Goal

Praise God for dads who teach their children to obey and trust

The kind Heavenly Father who remembers 'we are dust' 

And like Him, they are patient too, when live-and-learning' errs

And all that he can do is keep them in his earnest prayers

Praise God for you, dearest of dads, and beloved, more and more

As your children grow older and more humbly thankful for

The example you gave us that no money can afford 

Of the steps of a good man that are ordered by the Lord

Janet Martin

Awed Awareness

Today's post Inspired in part by Gen.19

And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand,

 and upon the hand of his wife, 

and upon the hand of his two daughters; 

the Lord being merciful unto him...

Luke 19:16

Lest sluggishly we loiter

Lest apathy besot

Lest we grow numb and thus become

Futile in our thought

Lest we seek sorry solace

In the Sodom of sin

Lest terribly we fail to see

The state that we are in

Lest resolution flounders

Lest influence cajoles

The Still Small Voice that affects choice

That affects deathless souls

Lest we no longer shudder

At evil’s evilness

Or recognize the tempter’s lies

Disguised as ‘happiness’

Lord, wake in us awareness

Of Sodom’s fate, to flee

Lest, like Lot’s wife we mourn that life

And look back longingly

Seize us with holy horror

Of sin’s sad judgment day

Lord, chasten us and hasten us

To repent and obey

Lest the nonsense of notions

And opinions, absurd

With worldly vice, lulls us with ‘nice’

Lord, keep us in Your word

Lord, like Lot when he lingered

Be merciful, I pray

Let your command, like a firm hand

Seize us from Sodom’s sway

Lord, where there is a carcass

The vultures congregate

Lord, wake in us awed awareness 

Before it is too late 

© Janet Martin

Luke 17:20-37

The Coming of the Kingdom

(Genesis 19:24–29)

20When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. 21Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.d”

22Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23People will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them. 24For just as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so will be the Son of Man in His day. 25But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

26Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man: 27People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

28It was the same in the days of Lot: People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30It will be just like that on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind. 32Remember Lot’s wife! 33Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed: One will be taken and the other left. 35Two women will be grinding grain together: One will be taken and the other left.”e

37“Where, Lord?” they asked.

Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”

Pondering Paupers (of Spiritual blessing)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”

(Eph. 1:3).

When we ignore His divine power, who gives us everything we need to

live a godly life it is no small wonder we stumble...

  3as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,

 through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

2 Peter 2:3

If we do not stand tall in times of peace

defending our faith,

how will we stand strong in times of persecution?!

For if they do these things in the green wood,
what will be done in the dry?”
Luke 23:31

If we, professing believers, do not with utter care weigh each action,

whether it is a stepping stone or a stumbling block to spiritual blessing

what is Godliness?

The new creation ought not resemble the old

in desires, in habits and in fruit.

When it does it, pray we take it before our holy, righteous, loving heavenly Father,

confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9)

Pray we covet the spiritual blessing that only devotion to God's commands can bring.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

old things have passed away;

behold, all things have become new.

2 Cor. 5:17

Imagine if we coveted spiritual blessing like we do the material?

Everything We Need

To be robbed of spiritual blessing

Is life’s greatest loss of all

To cower and never be hated

For the sake of standing tall

...so, lest sin subtly entangles

And hinders us in the race

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus

And boldly defend His grace

Lest we forfeit sacred riches

Lest we hinder pleading prayers

Lest we trod the name of Jesus

Beneath our feet unawares

Lest we cause another to stumble

Lest we choose depravity

And then, robbed of spiritual blessing

Become a fruitless tree

 © Janet Martin  

Eph.1:18

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened

 in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, 

the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

The Beginning of Knowledge...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Prov.1:7

I have been pondering the above verse for the past week;

how fear of God or lack thereof, affects every single decision we make!

Then, lo and behold, it was the key verse in today's Daily Bread Devotion!

All things were made by Him...

The beginning of knowledge is not by some college taught

But as we meet God through his Word and revere His commands

For what starts with a niggle in our hearts or in our thought

Will soon wiggle its way into our mouth, or feet and hands

The beginning of knowledge does not age-discriminate

We are all never too old to discover something new

Our Father up in Heaven is a God of love, not hate

We prove how much we fear Him by the things we say and do

The beginning of knowledge is to fear the Lord, our God

Then tremble at His word and reverence His holy Name

Do not stand in the way that wicked wanderers applaud 

The fool that loathes wisdom's instruction will be brought to shame

The beginning of knowledge is to recognize our place

Beneath the grace of God who forgives and sets sinners free

The fool does not tremble to think of 'someday face to face'

The wise seek godly counsel with fear and humility

Janet Martin

Prov.3:7

Do not be wise in your own eyes; 

Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

Proverbs 14:26-27
He who fears the LORD is secure in confidence, 

and his children shall have a place of refuge.

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, 

turning a person from the snares of death.

Proverbs 10:27
The fear of the LORD prolongs life, 

but the years of the wicked will be cut short.

Proverbs 11:14
For lack of guidance, a nation falls, 

but with many counselors comes deliverance.

Isa.66:4-6

So I will choose their punishment and I will bring terror upon them, because I called and no one answered, I spoke and no one listened. But they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.” 5You who tremble at His word, hear the word of the LORD: “Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of My name have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified that we may see your joy!’ But they will be put to shame.” 6Hear the uproar from the city; listen to the voice from the temple! It is the voice of the LORD, repaying His enemies what they deserve!…

'Wasting' of Self...

 So many forsake/deny/reject faith in God, 

disillusioned by circumstance and feelings...

rather than realizing after His grace and mercy detailed and explained 

in the first 11 chapters of Romans what our response ought to be...

 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.

Romans 12:1

These pages from the book Building of Character by J.R. Miller

Not in vain, the pain of learning

‘Neath the chisel as He shapes

Hearts agape with hope and yearning

As the artists sculpts and scrapes

Harsh and hard may seem the process

Firm, the Artist wields the knife

As He carves away, with losses

At the fabric of a life

Many with stubborn refusal

Flee His method; present-blind

Never becoming the vessel

That the Artist had in mind

We must let the Master labour

As He chips and strips at pride

Teaching us to love our neighbour

Until we are Self-denied

Until what we once thought worthy

Outside of the Artist’s plan

Lies in waste, as grace and mercy

Shapes a truly godly man

© Janet Martin

Should Be Like Night And Day...

 Happy March!...and here's to our ongoing 'marching' orders!

Where the battle that exists twixt good and evil requires our full attention,

Where living by the Spirit should in no way resemble following the flesh!

Should be like night and day; the old man and the new

What we do now should not relate to what we used to do

Should be like black and white; the way we are and were

Where now we walk by faith, not sight, when we become God’s heir

Should be like dark and light; the world twixt lust and love

A transformation evident by what our choices prove

Should be like death to life; that sacred exodus

We who have fled to take hold of The Hope set before us

...should be like night and day; like a captive set free

When we have put to death the person that we used to be

© Janet Martin

 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, 

if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. 

And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Romans 8: 8-9

 What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?

Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? 

Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus 

were baptized into His death?…

 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires.

Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, 

but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life;

 and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.

Romans 6:1-3, 12-13

Here's some kind caution and encouragement...

Honour-bound!

This poem was inspired by the closing remarks in a letter we received last week...

"The grand purpose of our lives is not that we...
(and they expressed their heart's desire which for privacy I cannot share)

—it is that God would use us to reflect his glory—may He accomplish this in all of us!"


Amen!
This perfect purpose keeps us grounded
no matter who or where we are
no matter what we do.

 Nature, decked in snow-glory is rousing hymns of awe and praise this morning!

No matter where we find ourselves in doing what we do

Whether it is a hard knock walk or prayers and dreams come true

Whether we gain peopled applause or labour without laud

We are created for one cause; to bring glory to God

The best and worst of ‘blessed and cursed’ does not affect the charge

One purpose binds us as all aboard time’s elemental barge

Where pray, we muster more than an obligatory nod

For ultimately we were born to bring glory to God

Then in the thick or thin of it;

The kick-caress, groan-grin of it

It helps us keep chins up a bit

If we remember this;

No matter what of loss or gain

Or flying high or cross of pain

Its albatross is not in vain

For where these are God IS

So then no matter who we are or where, or what we do

None of us are exempt from the purpose we are called to

Where in pursuit of hard-fought goals we will be mercy-awed

If we commit with heart and soul to bring glory to God

Ah, yes, his ways are higher than thought’s gaze can comprehend

And though our heart’s desire must oft learn to wait and bend

We will not languish in despair beneath love’s testing rod

If we make our wish and prayer to bring glory to God

© Janet Martin

 “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.