Of Westward Slopes...(and juxtapositions)

I started this poem yesterday morning before Cutie-duty began

...and just like that the westward slope claimed its faithful prey

Now it's off to do some more planting...

Where bitter gall and sweet surprise mingle within life’s glass

And no one knows as daybreak glows what waits to come to pass...

The westward slope of daybreak draws the sun across the sky

The duel between dark and light fuels charge and reply

Duty resumes the rivalry of age-old no and yes

Beauty bestows its rose to crown the woes of brokenness

Where each of us is faced toward the Place from whence we came

Today’s debut, like none before and yet so much the same

A gift from He whose promises forevermore endure

To span the rift twixt man adrift and hope’s anchor secure

The happiness of hope is not a Thing money can buy

But faith’s unswaying confidence in ‘more than meets the eye’

Where bitter gall and sweet surprise mingle within life’s glass

And no one knows as daybreak glows what waits to come to pass

To aggregate the ebb and flow of delight and despair

Where Doubt, the Eden-sired foe still seeks to sets its snare

Where pride still goes before the fall and love still never fails

Where, when repentance bows the head, the grace of God prevails

The wrongs of time will be made right for all eternity

The mysteries of God will be revealed for all to see

The glass we peer through now is darkly, but then, face to face

As we behold The Fulness we received; grace upon grace

Where whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly too

God is not mocked; He grants the seeds we run our fingers through

Where want and wonder war as time pours out heartache and hope

While we are drawn toward the low’ring Door on westward slope

© Janet Martin

At first only one party sacrificed their turn on the swing,

the other not swayed in the least my the fact that sharing is caring...

but quite content in the temporary satisfaction of serving Self!

eventually everyone was persuaded to be a cheerful giver

even if it was only turns on a swing!

This passage is good to read from time to time

because 'planting season' is so brief!

2 Cor.9:6-11

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,

 and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, 

not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, 

so that in all things at all times, 

having all that you need, 

you will abound in every good work. 

9 As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;

their righteousness endures forever.”[a]

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food 

will also supply and increase your store of seed a

nd will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 

11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, 

and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Conditional Blessing

Heb.11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

There are definitely some 'conditions' when it comes to

reaping a harvest of joy...

Love is no sit-back-and-enjoy-the-benefits sport,,

but rather a life of diligent, servant-heart obedience

not to gain/keep our salvation but to say/prove

I love you, Lord!

If we desire God to bless

Our lives with joy’s true happiness

We have a vital part to play

In His reply; we must obey

If we long for His peace to fill

Our hearts though storms and struggles spill

It will, for He is kind and just

His peace will prevail, if we trust

If we want to find we must seek

And learn to turn the other cheek

Not answer blow with counter-blow

But in humility, bow low

If we want to reap joy so sweet

Then Self must first take a back seat

Before faith’s field can yield non-stop

Fruits-of-the-Spirit bumper-crop

His love does not indulge our greed

But will supply our every need

He will not leave us comfortless

If we believe His promises

So, if we ask for God to bless

Our lives with joy and happiness

We have a vital part to play

In His reply; if we obey

© Janet Martin

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, having been justified by faith,

  [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

  2through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, 

and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

  3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, 

knowing that tribulation produces [b]perseverance;

  4and perseverance, [c]character; and character, hope.

  5Now hope does not disappoint, 

because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts 

by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

1 John 2:3

By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him:

 if we keep His commandments.

Trust and Obey-Don Moen

Obey God and Leave the Consequences to Him - Charles Stanley

Harvest Homily

Today's harvest has the potential of

turning me beet red! 😄

I planted beets and boy!! did I get beets!

(looks like a few woody ones)

At least it's a literal beet red!

Some harvests have the potential of turning us beet red

but not with beet juice😡😆

We might think we can twist fate’s arm

And trick the hand of recompense

But some things we cannot out-charm

Action will equal consequence

Where what we sow is what we reap

The seed cannot its fruit estrange

Then close and careful vigil keep

We cannot trick what cannot change

The seeds that fill us with regret

If we repent God will forgive

Though consequence will still beset

He helps us through each day we live

We might think we can twist God’s arm

And plant some seeds that will not grow

Consequence is immune to charm

The seed it is, the fruit will show

© Janet Martin

Galatians 6:7 ESV 

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

  

Harvest Season Meditation...

this is the season of long, steamy canning days.

...and singing meek praises of gratitude!

this is the season of eager helpers...

this is the season of blooms and butterflies...

This is the season of endless culinary options and delights...

This is the harvest season!!

Imagine if, with the same urgency we have

to gather in the harvest

 (esp. when it looks like rain)

we rushed to the harvest fields 

Jesus called all believers to!

Matt.9:36-38

 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,

 because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

We have no time to lose or pine

For harvest season does not stay

The fruit hangs heavy on the vine

Then we must toil without delay

With reverence for Judgement Day

Now is the time to gather in

For harvest season does not wait

But beckons from the laden limb

Where grace still draws ajar dawn’s gate

Then work before it is too late

We have no time to idle stand

For harvest season is so brief

Winter and death are close at hand

Its step trembles in ev’ry leaf

With verges of hunger and grief

Now is the time to labor long

Where harvest season’s bowers bow

Beneath the tolling of a gong

Who knows how long God will allow

The Time to gather in called Now

© Janet Martin

2 Cor.6:2

 I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, 

now is the day of salvation.

The Great Commission

Matt.28:18-20

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,

 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

 19Go [c]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, 

baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;

 and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 [d]Amen.

If I Were An Onion...

2 Peter 1:8

For 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.

2 Pet.3:18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 To him be glory both now and forever! 

Amen.

Seeds that don't grow or bear fruit are good-for-nothing.

Which onion are we?

The onions I planted this year have not grown at all!

As I started pulling them in disappointed frustration

the thought struck me. 

Is this what God will pluck up when my life is over

or will I be a big, round Fruitful Onion?

(like the ones I purchased)

What a waste and pity

Seeds that never sprout

Always just a gritty-bitty

Shadow of a doubt

What a futile effort

After sun and rain

Not even a hint of fruit

Planted, but in vain

What a shameful outcome

Fruitless all the way

Still the same at harvest-time

As on planting day

© Janet Martin

John 15:2

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

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

 

The Gravity of Seeds

 

We all want a healthy harvest but wanting isn't enough;

to harvest what we hope for takes the long, hard work of Love

Hang in there, fellow field-hands!

Proverbs 16:2

All a man's ways are pure in his own eyes, 

but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.

Through dad's life he proved the deed/'seed'

above was far more than 'getting in mother-in-law's good books.

His life is a legacy of helpfulness.

And isn't it ironic how even in harvest time 

we are planting and watering.

Gal.6:9

 Let us not become weary in doing good, 

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Sometimes we are so weary and tempted to despair, but God is faithful...

2 Thess. 3:3

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you 

and guard you from the evil one

Prayer for Today.

"Lord, let us sense the seeds we strew

and recognize the recompense

when harvest time comes due,

In Thy Name we pray

Amen

It matters, for we scatter seeds 

Through every high and low 

Where words and prayers and fruit of deeds 

At Harvest Time will show 

It matters, what we think upon 

Where, who we choose to serve 

Will either make us weak or strong 

When life throws us a curve 

It matters, how we proceed thus 

Trailblazers of a kind 

For little feet that follow us 

Not very far behind 

It matters, what we say and do 

The ‘why’ of yes and no 

Like little seeds we strew and strew 

That grow and grow and grow

It matters; Every. Single. Day

No matter where life leads

Its ups and downs will soon display

The gravity of seeds

It matters. No one can mock God

The hand reaps what it sows

Where what seems hidden in time's sod

The harvest will expose

© Janet Martin 

Proverbs 20:11
Even a young man is known by his actions--

whether his conduct is pure and upright.

Matthew 7:20
So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Harvest Thoughts...

The 'harvest' is in full-swing...

 

as is the ever-sacred, ever-planting season!

How swift the seeds return

With harvest-heavy grant
The laborer is sure to learn
We gather what we plant

The heart is like a field
Where toiling is in vain
Unless we sacrifice its yield
To the Giver again

What good is grain/gain galore
For the poor that we see
If we offer them nothing more
Than verbal sympathy

 

So small, the seeds that fall

But what a vital part

For harvest is a Holy Call

In the field of the heart 

Then pray we keep in mind

The planting-season's sums

Of seeds that will reveal their kind

When harvest season comes

 

© Janet Martin

Swift The Deed That Plants The Seed...

How swift the deed, how long the growing season as the seed takes root
The harvest, though the crop seems slow to show its kind will yield its fruit
The field of Time is filled people planting as we come and go
God is not mocked; and He has promised that we will reap what we sow

The seed, once dropped may seem stopped by the cover-up of dirt and time
But it is folly to believe there is no reckoning for crime
And we ought to be wary of the nucleus within our dreams
For idols will betray, no matter how harmless the worship seems

Take heart, dear little mother as you kiss and correct, scold and hold
The mission-field of home-sweet-home has so much harvesting to mold
Though modest seems the labour in this sacred little plot of earth
The seeds you drop and nurture none can equal in its priceless worth

Beware; dear young-but-not-for-as-long-as-the-season-may-appear
Wild oats are no small matter when the reaping of its crop is here
Where recompense, in spite of regret, grief cannot void or revert
Then ponder well the seeds you scatter; be vigilant and alert

…for swift the deed that plants the seed that sooner or later bears yield
Where we reap what we sow; and we are all part of a worldwide field
Where none can fool or trick the Ruler of temporal toil and strife
He who sows to the flesh reaps death but to the Lord, eternal life

© Janet Martin

 

Gal.6:7-10

 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. 

  ⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, 

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

 ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, 

especially to those who are of the household of faith.

 

 '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? '

The Sower and the Seed

In Ontario harvest-season is in full swing.
It often makes me think of another plant and harvest scenario and
  reminds me of  one of my farmer-dad's favourite hymns...

 

The commission of word and deed

Which each of us employs

Is like a sower panting seed

In fields of need and noise

How sure the kernels strew the field

Where grace extends its lease

How certain, what seems yet concealed

Will render its increase

How hard the grind of honest toil

And earnest diligence/vigilance

How easy seems the striking spoil

Of pleasing indulgence

But Lord, whatever be our lot

Ere death our breath will bind

Help us to tend time’s tender plot

With Harvest Day in mind

Dear Lord, with conscience keen and pure

Let love for Thee implore

…to plant a crop that will endure

Upon the threshing floor

Where, when we meet Thee face to face

Should there be sheaves of grain

These but by merit of Your grace

Thy mercy didst sustain

 

Then, let us labour undeterred

By those who scorn and laugh

Lest, when sifted through by Thy word

All that remains is chaff

Lord, let our seeds of say-and-do

Be worthy of our days

Where purpose is our love for You

And labour is our praise

© Janet Martin

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, 

gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Matt.3:12

What Seems Seemingly Small...

 ...hopefully in a week from now these seeds will be planted!
(wow! hopefully seems to be the much-used word of this spring😏)

From these seeds we hope to harvest vegetables.

We plant them with intention.

Most of what we plant often without purposed intention,

holds a far more crucial harvest!

Those small choices we make often without much thought at all

Those small bites that we take ( c’mon, mostly just crumbs that fall)

When, given enough time and taste will then reveal the sum

As seemingly small ‘morsels’ make/shape the person we become

That seemingly small drink or two, the seemingly small thought

Makes us feel satisfied with what we do (when we should not)

For left unguarded and unchecked a little thing becomes

Without intentional neglect a lifetime’s solemn sums

We ought to pay close heed to seemingly small moves we make

For what is first a teeny seed holds harvest in its wake

And what begins as ‘little sins’ if unaddressed becomes

The decline of morality in monumental sums

© Janet Martin

 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
The 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.…

Gal.6:7-8

 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, 

lest at any time we should let them slip.

Heb.2:1