Simply, A Vessel

It seems the older we grow, the faster time flies!

How are we over halfway through October already?!

How are we nearing the end of another harvest season

that it seems we just planted not so very long ago?!

Gal.6:7

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 

for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

There is no getting around it;

whether we plant conscientiously,

carelessly, or with carefully-crafted cunning,

cover/bury deeply the seed/deeds we strew/do

we reap what we sow! 

We have all at one time or another sown seeds we later regretted,

and we would surely lose heart as we reflect on those seeds

 but for this:

2 Cor.7:10

For godly sorrow produces repentance 

leading to salvation, not to be regretted;

 but the sorrow of the world produces death.

In the spring I planted a perennial mum from my mom's perennial garden.

Its flourishing autumn beauty is such a pleasure to behold!

When good seeds are planted then good fruit and flowers follow!

Sometimes what we plant in the spring of our lives doesn't bloom until the autumn...

Oh, pray it is more than wild oats we've sown!

***

We are, in a sense all vessels through which seeds pour...

2 Tim2: 20-21

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, 

but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 

 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, 

he will be a vessel for honor,

 [h]sanctified and useful for the Master, 

prepared for every good work. 

Yesterday I harvested the last of my garden produce...

Not all harvests are as quickly cultivated and collected 

as that of the garden variety! but, 

Gal.6:9

Let us not grow weary while doing good, 

for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

God does not require a crowd to fulfill Purpose true 

But simply a vessel, unproud, willing to be poured through

Each legacy of faith begins with self-surrendered 'yes' 

As we repent of our sins and and turn from worldliness/carelessness

To walk by faith or run its race with endurance does not

Depend upon athletic pace or skill, but trust in God  

To trust God is to trust his Word; to trust is to obey

To keep His precepts, undeterred by all who turn away

How sweet to hone hope's happiness, not in fleeting delights

But in God's steadfast promises where faith fixes its sights 

How holy is time's ebb and flow unfolding Now to Then

How surely we reap what we sow; God is not mocked. Amen 

...nor does He require a crowd, His purpose to fulfill 

But simply a vessel, endowed with faith's surrendered will   

Janet Martin

'Very much of our future life will depend upon our earliest days',

said preacher Charles Spurgeon on January 15, 1893,

then quoted Mr. Ruskins, not quite verbatim,

' people often say we excuse the thoughtlessness of youth,

but he says no, it never ought to be excused.

I'd far rather hear of thoughtless old age when a man has done his work,

but what excuse can be found for a thoughtless youth?

The time for thought is at the beginning of life

and there is no period which so much demands

or so much necessitates thoughtfulness as our early days...

I would that all young men would think so.

They say that they must sow their wild oats.

No! No, my dear young friend.

 Think before you sow such seed as that,

 what the reaping will be.

See if there is not better corn to be found 

than wild oats and sow that,

then think how you will sow it 

and when you will sow it

for if you do not think about the sowing,

what will the harvest be? '

Of Records Still in the Writing or Harvests Still in the Planting

Harvest: the fruition of seeds planted!

We cannot reap what we did not plant

both literally and spiritually!

Yesterday's harvest included onions!

Gal.6:7-8

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 

for whatever a man sows,

 that he will also reap. 

8 For he who sows to his flesh 

will of the flesh reap corruption, 

but he who sows to the Spirit 

will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Below excerpt by J.R.Miller

I cannot bear your weight of care

Nor you, mine; we must each

Shoulder lessons in trust and prayer

That God alone can teach

Our sacred share in live-and-learn

Holds more than meets the eye

 The rich reward of faith's return

Not now, but by and by

You cannot love on my behalf

Nor I on yours; no one

Can weep my tears or taste my laugh

-ter for a fight, well-won/task well done

When life is through then I will stand

To answer for the seeds

  Not strewn by someone else's hand

But for my words and deeds

I will not give account for you

Nor you for me; each one

When this God-granted life is through

Will answer God alone

No one to point a finger at

 When each life is laid bare

As God opens the record that

Reaches from here to there

Janet Martin

Ps.86:5, 9&11

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;

Nor are there any works like Your works.

All nations whom You have made

Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,

And shall glorify Your name.

For You are great, and do wondrous things;

You alone are God.

Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

[c]Unite my heart to fear Your name.

Before The Winepress and Threshing Floor

Wheat harvest is in full swing! 

The 'winnowing fan' is separating the wheat from the chaff!

Many less visible 'harvests' are in full swing too!

John 15: 1-4 & 16

(read the whole beloved chapter HERE)

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 

 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; 

and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. 

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, 

neither can you, unless you abide in Me...

16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, 

and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, 

and that your fruit should remain: 

that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

James 2:17

So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.

Matthew 3:8
Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance...

As we study the ripple effects of carelessness, of sin/ disobedience to God,

its consequence is ghastly, rolling though generations with ease,

if left unchecked,

until the 'pit'-fall once disregarded by a few,

 is so crowded that the awareness of it ceases.

(why is it we are prone to lamenting sin's consequence, 

rather than the origin of the consequence- sin?!)

Wisdom always considers, beyond instant gratification, where the action or choice

if unchecked,  will lead and whether the fruit of it will ultimately,

draw us nearer to God or to the world...

is it a fruit of the Spirit or flesh?

If we have truly repented 

and if we truly love

our Saviour, then fruit in keeping with repentance

will/must be evident!! 

We live in a pleasure-driven age with exorbitant amounts of money

poured into the fleeting fruitlessness of many-a-joy toy...

Oh pray we never let the 'thorns/things' choke out the desire for God;

the Giver of every good and perfect gift!

We don't need to be wealthy to afford the gifts He promises to all

who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

'they shall be filled.' Matt.5:6,

while, the opposite is true when it comes to feeding carnal appetites;

the more we feast, the more we starve! 

If we are rooted in Good Soil we will grow and bear fruit...

Years ago one of the families I did childcare for, 

generously built/gifted me an arbour

and some grapevines, after I casually mentioned to them 

in a gardening conversation that someday I would LOVE to have a grape arbor.

What grand anticipation followed the planting of the vines!

but, nothing happened!!

For three years I watched as each spring a few valiant leaves appeared, 

assuring me there was still some life in the vine,

but it only ever survived each season, rather than thrived! 

Suddenly it dawned on me that perhaps the arbor is too close to

the black walnut trees bordering the neighbor's property!

Sure enough, only wild grapes are juglone tolerant!

In disappointment I dug them up and carelessly plopped them in a hole

in my 'miscellaneous' flowerbed assuming by the looks of them

that this time there was no life remaining...

I was wrong!

Finally the thing that hampered their growth was removed 

and they leaped from the earth like a visual hymn!

thankfully, wisteria is unbothered by juglone!

(walnut tree beauties in background)

the mouth may boast a myriad of profound piety

but fruit will always tell the truth of fig or thistle tree 

how careful then, we ought to heed, before the consequence

the seeds we strew, of righteousness or disobedience 

...because, no matter what we say, our actions do not lie

Who we live for is proven by the one we most deny;

the God of love or god of self; no one can serve two Lords/lords

And by the fruit the tree is known; not by the wind of words

    Producing fruit in keeping with repentance, none can do

apart from the True Vine; then call on Him; He helps us to

endure the painful pruning of the Vinedresser, before

the Grim Authentication of winepress and threshing-floor 

 

Janet Martin

Ps.33:18-22

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope in His mercy,

19 To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You.

Fruit-Evaluation...

How often love relinquishes what we dearly love 

for Who we dearly love~

***

To love something is never Reason enough unless

it is because we love someone

***

2 Tim.3:1-5

But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 

2 For men will be lovers of themselves, 

lovers of money, 

boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,

 unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, 

slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, 

lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. 

And from such people turn away!

***

We all know it is foolish to wait till autumn to contemplate

what will be the harvest!

Harvest depends on what we sow during planting season!

Today in the Season of life it is still planting season,

even in November.

Fruit is no liar;

we reap what we sow.

We are wise to pause time and again, and evaluate

humbly and honestly the health and hardiness

of the fruit on the tree...

Matt.3:10

The ax is already at the root of the trees, 

and every tree that does not produce good fruit 

will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

On today's to-do/planting-harvest list; can pumpkins...

Roast beets for supper 'salad'...

(Below, last week's first time recipe-try and new fall favourite!)

Myriad medleys of  moments served up inspiration for today's poem...

Upon a scale we oft forget, the fruit of love is weighed

Each new day, rife with gleaming 'yet' grants opportunity 

To manifest love's evidence, as word and deed are laid

Before the One whose ordinance lays the ax to the tree   

 

Upon a scale we cannot see, we heap the fruit of love

While God's goodness streams fresh and free, like rainfall and sunshine

His mercy hails and we reply; as what we prize we prove

By who we serve; vain to deny the fruit upon the vine   

Great peace have they who love God's law, yea, nothing will offend

Then pray for more genuine awe as we approach The Scale

For love is not a liar as it fills limbs that will bend

With fruit of heart's desire and the proof that will not fail 

Upon a scale none can revoke love's sacred fruits accrue 

The deed we did, the word we spoke, the Thought, secretly sown 

Then pray we pay more earnest heed as we embark anew

To till the ground and plant the seed that by its fruit is known

Upon a scale held in hands scarred by love, nailed to a cross 

We heap our answer; no holds barred, holy, holy, the fruit 

Because it tells the tender truth; futile, all verbal gloss 

The fruit of love, the sacred proof that silences dispute  

Gal.5:19-26

The acts of the flesh are obvious: 

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy,

 fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; 

drunkenness, orgies, and the like. 

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this

 will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance,

 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

23 gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law. 

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh 

with its passions and desires. 

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Gal.6:7-10

Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. 

Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.

  8The one who sows to please his flesh, 

from the flesh will reap destruction;

 but the one who sows to please the Spirit, 

from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

9Let us not grow weary in well-doing, 

for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

  10Therefore, as we have opportunity, 

let us do good to everyone, 

and especially to the family of faith.

 

Praise God From Whom All Blessing Grows...

This poem has been percolating in my soul for some time 💓🙏

Life is unceasingly busy with beauty/bounty of harvest among other things...

(including, much to our relief, the recovery of our pickup truck,

on Sat. night, after it was stolen from our back yard 

two weeks ago during a family reunion!

It will (happily) be returned in due time.

Thank-you to all who prayed and please continue to pray

 for the poor soul who stole it 😢💔)

Praise God from Whom all blessings grow as earthen wellsprings overflow...

The seed is rent with plume and root,

 the bough is bent with gleaming fruit...

The land, a patchwork counterpane of lush corn fields and gathered grain...

And gold-green sheen of soybean field aflutter with impending yield...

And in yon once-upon-spring-brooks, wild flowers beckon second-looks...

A rambling rush, where sight is awed by aster, teasel, goldenrod

Praise God from Whom all blessings grow as earthen wellsprings overflow

The seed is rent with plume and root, the bough is bent with gleaming fruit

The land, a patchwork counterpane of lush corn fields and gathered grain

And gold-green sheen of soybean field aflutter with impending yield

And in yon once-upon-spring-brooks, wild flowers beckon second-looks

A rambling rush, where sight is awed by aster, teasel, goldenrod

Praise God from Whom all bounty brims; happiness is hope’s harvest hymns

The creature’s quick complaint subdued by unmerited gratitude

As God, rich in mercy and love runs goodness through sod’s treasure trove

For needy likes of you and I whose worship lifts up glad reply

To He who gives us strength for toil as we gather seed’s sumptuous spoil

Or when praise is unlearned, still He pours unearned blessing lavishly

Praise God from Whom all blessings peal. Before whose throne we humbly kneel

To offer soulful stutters to the One who cares for me and you

Who loves to stun our ardent prose with the perfection of the rose

Who challenges the showman’s noise with dripping peachy-sweetest joys

Who strums the hidden parts of earth and orchestrates the art of birth

Who sees our hearts, knows how we are, yet still upends His blessing-jar

Praise God from Whom all blessing grows in reds, pinks, purples, greens, yellows

Each garden plot, (after the heat) a paradisiacal retreat

Each tree-tress like a mandolin breeze-balladeers get tangled in

Each woodland dark and whispering before fall’s stark unraveling

Each bower like a temple where we cannot help but bow in prayer

Each flower a masterpiece, oh, praise God from Whom all blessings grow

Each fruit and veg a five-star score of possibility galore

Each by God wondrously designed; each perfect after their own kind

Praise Him for healthy appetite and praise Him for each tasty bite

Of blessing only He can grant where our duty is to plant

Then trust Him for the compliments of sun and raindrop providence

Content to join the hymn that flows, ‘praise God from whom all blessing grows’

© Janet Martin

Praise God from Whom all blessing grows in reds, pinks, purples, greens, yellows

Each garden plot, (after the heat) a paradisiacal retreat...

Each tree-tress like a mandolin breeze-balladeers get tangled in

Each woodland dark and whispering before fall’s stark unraveling

Each bower like a temple where we cannot help but bow in prayer

Each flower a masterpiece, oh, praise God from Whom all blessings grow

Ps.66:1-5

Make a joyful noise to God,
all the earth!
2Sing the glory of His name;
make His praise glorious.
3Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!
So great is Your power
that Your enemies cower before You.
4All the earth bows down to You;
they sing praise to You;
they sing praise to Your name.”