Forward and Up...or, Till Face-to-Face, Faith Sees!

John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

A new week, a new day, not to travel backwards but forward and up...

by the grace of God!

Forward and up, Lord, help us look

Not back, disheartened by regret

When we faith’s fealty forsook

By foolish desire beset

When, disregarding Thy commands

To love Thee first, then fellowman

We sought the strength of our own hands

Rather than Thy purpose and plan

Forward and up, Lord, help us press

As we, Calvary’s quest recall

The purchase-price of forgiveness;

You gave Your life to ransom all

You give Your everlasting Word

To be an undefeated Light

In a world where logic is blurred

By sensuality and sight

Forward and up, Lord, help us face

Today, unhampered by regret

But humbled by Thy gift of grace

Salvation from sin’s binding debt

And truth no liar can annul

Where love and mercy intercede

Forgiveness, not in part, but full

‘Whom Thou sets free is free indeed’

Forward and up, Lord, help us look

With hope and joy unspeakable

Because at Calvary you took

Our place, and paid sin’s debt in full

This is no fickle faith we boast

No fleeting Prize we press toward

Or defend to the uttermost

Forward and up to Thee, oh Lord

Forward and up, without eyes glued

To that which has been done away 

Forward and up; mercy-renewed

Anoints each virgin break of day

Forward and up with awestruck praise  

For love beyond our wildest ken 

Forward and up, with steadfast gaze 

Till face-to-face faith sees! 

Amen. 

Janet Martin

Psalm 16:8

I have set the LORD always before me. 

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 119:37

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

 revive me with Your word.

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

 For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Matthew 6:22-23

The eye is the lamp of the body.

 If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 

 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. 

If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

From Here to Him

Whether we live a day or a hundred years

(like my friend's grandma who lives in Switzerland

and  traveled to Brazil recently!!)

our final breath dissolves Time in eternity!

What was, whether a day or a hundred years, 

then, forever turned to what is!!

Oh, pray somewhere along The Way from Here to Him 

we prepare to meet God who loves us so much

He paid the debt/fare we owed to purchase

The Way to be saved from

the consequence and penalty of sin! John 3:16

And we are all sinners in need of a Saviour!

Josh Turner ~ I Serve a Savior

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, 

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 14:6

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.

 No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. 

The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

The Way of the Cross Leads Home - Hymn with Lyrics

 

Life's way varied in its topography brings everyone, ultimately,

back to the Giver of life...

no matter who, where, how old or young we are

when we leave this world

by one way or another, from the four corners of the earth,

we all come from Here to Him!

Oh, that we would 'know' Him before

we meet Him face to face!

How brutal often, seems the way that draws us dearer and nearer to Him!

By passageways through vale and mount that forge, from faith's leap, hope renewed

And stirs in souls, a hallowed fount of deeper, purer gratitude

By struggles on a way called 'straight/Strait', as self-will and surrender spar

As love weathers lessons of 'wait', while we learn who we really are

By secret prayers in private rooms where God alone can enter in

To cup confession's tear-stained bloom, to forgive and cleanse us from sin

By way of Ebenezer's stone, where worship erects monuments

Of praise; 'Thus far the Lord has shown His help, and His deliverance

By the way of the cross, we find, past Golgotha and Calvary

Faith's birthplace where once we were blind, but by the grace of God, we see

By the way to Damascus, where, bent on some mission, boldly braved

For worldly laud, God met us there, and by his mercy we were saved 

By the way of faith undeterred, by the way of love's battles grim

By the way of His faithful Word, God gathers us, from Here to Him 

Janet Martin

1 Sa.7:12

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, 

and called its name [a]Ebenezer, saying,

 “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing (lyrics & chord) Chris Rice

The One Thing No One Else Can Do

Without trouble, honestly, how much would we think to pray?!!

In our human nature/weakness we forget, 

or judge wrongly, the purpose of 'trouble'.

When we see someone suffer we want to ease 

their suffering and even remove it if possible!

 so we try to help each other the best we can.

 But if we were able to remove the trial then

 we/they would never discover the wonders of God's private ministry and fellowship

 to our souls as we learn the humility of deeper trust and looser grips...

I cannot live your life or learn your lessons,

nor you mine!

But oh joy, we can cheer each other on

and not learn alone!

Romans 15:1
We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak

 and not to please ourselves.

1 Thessalonians 5:14
And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, 

encourage the fainthearted, 

help the weak, and be patient with everyone.

Galatians 6:2
Carry one another’s burdens,

 and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Did you Think to Pray?

Though side by side we walk life’s road and share love’s creature cares

Through helping hands or words to goad the faith that authors prayers

Though we may commune, heart to heart and weep with holy plea

Nobody else can do the part that God assigned to me

Only my ears can hear His voice, only my heart reply

I am the owner of my choice; the merchant of my sigh

No matter what the cause may be that kindles praise or rue

You cannot pray my prayers for me nor I your prayers for you

I account for the words I say and you account for yours

Only my feet can walk the way that God alone secures

I, but a speck amidst the roar pressed to eternity

Yet, no one else can answer for the life God granted me

I am the trav’ler of the route God’s perfect purpose drew

I am the reaper of the fruit I glean from seeds I strew

I weather, come whatever may, the passage to the goal

And I alone choose ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ to He who saves the soul

Though side by side we walk life’s road of common day-to-day

And do our best to humbly goad and cheer us on our way

Though we may shoulder trouble’s strife and mingle mortal pleas

We, by God’s grace each live the life that He alone decrees

Janet Martin

Equipped to Endure...

It is wise and good as we wake, to yield to God our everything 

Then to put on His armour before we face what today will bring...

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake

Ps.23:1-3

I sense a collective groan from spring-hungry Ontarians this morning...

(unless you're a maple syrup producer!)

We are SO ready for green pastures!

so THIS is what was in yesterday's captivating clouds!

...and golden-dusk shadow-play

and green pastures and still waters!

It is not for the faint of heart to climb time’s winding flight of air

Not knowing what may try the part that smarts with holy groans of prayer

There is no certainty but this; the loving faithfulness of He

Whose promises span the abyss twixt Today and eternity

It is not for the faint of faith to brave daybreak’s virgin release

Not knowing what may try the grace whereby we find true joy and peace

But this we know; God keeps His word with love beyond perception’s ken

His Sovereignty is undeterred and works for our good. Amen

It is not for logic to judge God by façades of creature care

While the deceiver tries to budge hope’s anchor with doubt and despair

God’s Word abides; Truth does not shift like rolling waves or shadowed glade

Arise; embrace the gleaming gift of this new day the Lord has made

Arise and know it is for us He keeps His covenant of old

No need to fear or fret and fuss for He is in perfect control

His suit of armour is enough to equip us to stand and fight

For this we know; faith, hope and love pierce death’s darkness with life and light

It is not for the faint of heart to wonder where today's 'stair' leads

What peace to know God will impart the means to know faith's dues and needs 

Lord, give us ears to hear need's cries and eyes to see beyond Self's world 

Then find, to faith's humble surprise unspeakable treasure/wonder unfurled 

Janet Martin

Someday, by the grace of God we will look and marvel...

so THIS is what those clouds held/veiled! 

It's Not An Easy Road

“The Lord Is My Shepherd” | Sermon by Charles Spurgeon | Psalm 23:1

A sermon rich with reminders and challenges;

One quote esp. caught my ear since we are praying, trusting 

and waiting on the Master to provide a fulltime teaching pastor

 for our church/flock at WBC.

'When we look to the pastor but not to the Master,

the Master says, 'They are looking to the wrong person

so they shall get nothing.' But, when we look to the Master

He often supplies our needs through the pastor."

The Key/Path To True Happiness

Happiness is not listed with the fruits of the Spirit,

however, happiness is promised to those who trust in and obey the Lord.

( we just might need to take a closer look at what we define as happiness

and who our 'happiness' serves) ooh

Happy/blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

Ps.144:15

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

And whose hope is the LORD.

Jer.17:7

Happiness is the the phoenix that rises

from the ashes on the altar of sacrifice/obedience

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 Sa.15:22

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it,

and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work,

this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:25

The law of liberty is not freedom/permission to

do what we prefer, but rather to trust God (who) works all things for good

to those who love Him are called according to His purpose (not ours)

Rom.8:28

John 13:17

If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Romans 2:13

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God,

but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.

Luke 11:28

But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

1 Peter 3:14

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.

“Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.”

James 1:22

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

The path to the house has been cleared so we can get to the front door!

The path of righteousness has been cleared too, not by a shovel

but by a Shepherd 🙏 

To walk in paths of righteousness we first must trust the Shepherd's lead

And acknowledge the selfishness, that hinders true humility

That frustrates full surrender to He who knows and supplies our need

His love, faithful, tender and true secures the law of liberty

He cannot keep in perfect peace, the mind that is not stayed on Him

Who prefers rather, to appease the ways of want with willful pride

And cater to the nature that justifies stubborn wish and whim

Rather than honour the Creator who is able/faithful to provide

The Way, The Truth, the Life is not a 'pick-your-flavour-of-the-day'

His commands are not optional, but He gives us freedom to choose

To accept the duty of man; fear God, keep His commands, obey

He, who authored salvation's plan and paid its price. Or to refuse

With God all things are possible; why are we so deceived by sight?

Making logic more credible than He who rules seas, tempest-tossed

And numbers stars; who through His word grants wisdom to know wrong from right

A Shepherd who is undeterred and leaves the fold to seek the lost

To walk in paths of righteousness we first must trust the Shepherd's lead

And recognize that selfishness approves the wayward ways of sin

We first must bow in thankful wonder before He who fills our need

Who rent the temple's veil with thunder so that all may enter in

So that all may find sweet rest for souls that once were lost, like sheep

For all who trust the Lord are blessed; who make His law their chief delight  

So that we need not fear the vales that wind through Unknowns, dark and deep

The Shepherd, whose love never fails leads us till faith is turned to sight

© Janet Martin

Psalm 95:6-7

O come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God,

and we are the people of His pasture,

the sheep under His care.

Regarding Life's 'Musts'

Today's post was inspired, in part,  by a comment Jim (my husband, a truck driver)

 made this morning, as he envisioned another week 

of snowy roads, winter driving etc...

Not in disrespect to my 'I will pray for you'

he simply stated the matter of fact/must;

'all your prayers don't take away the fact that I

still have to face the weather and the highway...'

What a picture of life for all of us!!!

 and what a comfort of love!

When we pray for each other, 'for God to guide and keep'

the prayer does not take away the 'road ahead'

  but suddenly, gloriously 

a miraculous transformation takes place!

We go from this...

to this!!

(oops!! I missed a word in the reference below but

drawing is way too challenging for me to attempt a do-over 😂😐)

also, a glimpse at what happens when I look at the clock and g-a-a-a-asp!

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”;

Life's storms come, and pass

just as one 'must' precedes another!

No matter what we say to someone

we cannot take their 'Must' away.

(Jesus, in Gethsemane, though he pleaded was not spared)

We cannot travel their stretch of highway,

we cannot carry their cross.

We can walk alongside each other and

encourage each other, but we cannot

do each other's 'must'.

How wonderful then, the holy opportunity

free to all, to ask God to help us,

 to hold our hand and to go before us.

We don't have to face life's 'musts' alone!

Oh think about this;

We alone, are responsible for our fellowship with our

Heavenly Father; surely the most sacred 'must' of all.

May we pray, as Jesus in Gethsemane prayed , 'not my will, but Thine!'

Or in the Lord's Prayer, 'Thy will be done'.

Isa.45:2-3 & 5-8

“I will go before you

and level the mountains; 

I will break down the gates of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

3I will give you the treasures of darkness

and the riches hidden in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the LORD,

the God of Israel, who calls you by name...

5I am the LORD, and there is no other;

there is no God but Me.

I will equip you for battle,

though you have not known Me,

6so that all may know,

from where the sun rises to where it sets,

that there is none but Me;

I am the LORD, and there is no other.

7I form the light and create the darkness;

I bring prosperity and create calamity.

I, the LORD, do all these things.

8Drip down, O heavens, from above,

and let the skies pour down righteousness.

Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout

and righteousness spring up with it;

I, the LORD, have created it.

Read the whole glorious chapter HERE

***

Life's burdens must be borne

Its highways must be trod

Its holy unknowns must be faced

Either fear or faith-shod

Its mornings must be met

Its tests must be endured

Its tempests must be weathered, pray

Hope's Anchor is secured

Life's deserts must be crossed

Its hurdles must be leapt

Its battles must be won or lost

Promises must be kept

Its choices must be made

Its voices must be heard

Its sorrows must be suffered, for

Love's due is undeterred

Life's lessons must be learned

Through much-mistake accrued 

Its crown of wisdom must be earned

Humble pie must be chewed

And each of us must choose

How we will heed life's call

Whether we will trust or refuse

The God who loves us all 

Life's burdens must be borne

Its highways must be trod

Its unknowns, betwixt morn-to-morn

Never too hard for God 

© Janet Martin 

Being a transport truck driver in the winter

is not for the faint of heart!

Will you pray for their safety and encouragement too?

Isa.45:21-22

...There is no other God but Me,

a righteous God and Savior;

there is none but Me.

22Turn to Me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth;

for I am God,

and there is no other.

'Til the Storm Passes By

Lyrics-Songwriters: Thomas Mosie Lister

… In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face

While the storms howl above me, and there's no hiding place

'Mid the crash of the thunder, precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by

… 'Til the storm passes over, 'til the thunder sounds no more

'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by

… Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try

For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by"

But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise

Where the storms never darken the skies

… 'Til the storm passes over, 'til the thunder sounds no more

'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by

In All That We Achieve...

 Inspired, in part by a paragraph from this book previously mentioned here

In all that we achieve today, however common its demand

If we approach its come-what-may, with willing heart and open hand

And humble consciousness of holy ground beneath each step we take

Aware of how footfalls compound to leave a pathway in its wake

Then we will not forget to ask, ‘Dear God to purify each quest’

And we will find within each task an impetus to do our best

And face each challenge that we meet with more than self- int’rest in mind

Because, a world of little feet, are following not far behind

Where it is up to us to show, without a shadow of a doubt

Through ups and downs of yes-and-no, Who, what we do is all about

So pray, in all that we achieve, as aftermath of pathways wend

In sacred steppingstones we leave/weave, they lead to Heaven in the end

© Janet Martin

Ps.119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet 

And a light to my path.

Today's part-inspiration!

below continued from above...

I love how the paragraph below is a metaphor for life!

 

World-full-o'

The pleasure of the win...

The swirl and twirl with youth...

The sparkle of the child

The wizened crown of years...

The silence more pronounced

In woodland's leafless tolls

The pleasure of the win

 The sting of defeat's blow

The sense of springtime waltzing in

On a world full of snow

The swirl and twirl with youth

That ruthless hands estrange

The resolute bulwark of truth

In a world full of change

The sparkle of a child

The wizened crown of years

The laughter when sheer joy runs wild

In a world full of tears

Love's proof by how we live

Where so much is at stake

The kind and tender touch of 'give'

In a world full of  'take'

The secret second mile

The mother's earnest prayer 

The sunshine of a simple smile

In a world full of care

The season swiftly spent

The scarred, prayer-pounded Gate

Hearts, hounded with longing’s lament

In a world full of ‘wait’

The silence more pronounced

In woodland’s leafless tolls

Or where death steps in unannounced

In a world full of souls

The ‘nope’ of dreamer’s/pray-er's rue

The ‘dead seed’ in the sod

The hope that nothing can undo

In a world full of God

© Janet Martin

Very truly I tell you, 

unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, 

it remains only a single seed. 

But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

 John 12:24

Learning to Cherish

Do you also tend to feel a sense of frustration/astonishment 

as you read in Exodus, how God freed the children of Israel from

their bondage and oppression in Egypt in ways that they beheld His mighty power,

Then how, though they had a visual reminder of His presence 

in a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, (Ex.13:21)

How, though God parted the Red Sea so they passed through on dry ground, 

before the waters swallowed up the Egyptian army pursuing them.

and yet, how quickly their praise turned to murmuring

 when they were hungry and thirsty,

when present unpleasantness drew their attention and worship

 from He who had proven faithful over and over...

Oh!!! suddenly this sounds very familiar! 

forgive me, Lord!!

Moses' reprimand to the children of Israel is the same for you and me...

Because if we believe we too have been freed 

from bondage and oppression in the wilderness of Sin!

(I jotted half of this poem yesterday from a totally different train of thought

before finishing it this morning after today's scripture reading from Exodus!)

We take it as it comes; Blossoms and butterflies

Wishes that don’t come true and some that do to our surprise

We cannot seize what was or leap beyond today

So, we cherish what is because there is no other way

We take it as it is; of new not yet turned old

Of old that once was younger and of gray that once was gold

We cannot stay the hands that mark the march of time

So, we cherish duty’s demands and beauty’s season-chime

We take it as it goes; the high road and the low

Where only God, who grants it knows what life waits to bestow

To teach us how to trust and love Him all our days

To cherish His goodness to us and live a life of praise

To He who does not faint or weary of our cry

May we withhold thankless complaint and vanity of 'why' 

But cherish that which flows from Mercy's patient nod/rod

What comes, what is, what goes unfurls the soul's return to God

© Janet Martin

...in the morning we shall see the glory of the Lord!

Ex.16:7

Isa. 40:28

Have you not known? 

Have you not heard?

 The everlasting God, the LORD, 

The Creator of the ends of the earth, 

Neither faints nor is weary. 

His understanding is unsearchable.

His Love Endures Forever-Chris Tomlin

We Pray For Traveling Mercies, Lord

1 John 5:14

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Last week we received a prayer-request from a family,

for traveling mercies as they departed to answer God's call to a far-off land.

They have now posted a picture of their safe arrival!

We rejoice and continue to pray for them as they adjust to a new country,

and for all of us, who are striving to heed God's calling, 

we pray for 'traveling mercies' 

until we reach our destiny, to be forever with the Lord!

We pray for traveling mercies Lord, where cares and heartaches press

For hope and confidence restored through Thy Word’s promises

For salvation to be our song no matter what we face

Lord, make us weak to make us strong through Thy sufficient grace

We plead for traveling mercies Lord, for eyes we fix on Thee

To run with endurance toward The Reward none can see

For the joy set before us be our strength and joy and crown

Until with the victorious we lay this body down

We pant for traveling mercies Lord; that you would quench our thirst

With Living Water of Thy Word where boundless well-springs burst

From Truth’s eternal Rock, through ages never overthrown

Though storm and battle wages naught can shift Thy Cornerstone

We need Thy traveling mercies Lord, to lead us through each mile

We need thy Holy Spirit’s Sword where smiling snares beguile

Where our feet would slip without angel-armies unfurled

To vanquish dread and fear and doubt with peace, not of this world

We pray for traveling mercies Lord; and trust in Thy reply

For all we ask according to Thy will, you satisfy

Then, though we do not know or see all that time may betide

We press toward Faith’s destiny by mercies You provide

…all we like sheep have gone astray, but Thou, by Thy Son’s blood

Have borne our grief and washed away sin’s curse in mercy’s flood

Thou, The Good Shepherd, kind and true hears Thy sheep’s humble prayer

As traveling mercies lead us through the pastures of Thy care

In Thy Name we pray,

Amen

© Janet Martin

Blessed Jesus, Hold My Hand

Let Us Run

Sharing this song again because it uses a favorite scripture of mine

I need to repeat over and over! 🙏💗👑

Road to Glory...

'For me, my identity isn't a golf score'

"God made me good at golf and

I want to glorify him with this gift"

Scottie Scheffler

“God is in control and the Lord is leading me, 

and if today is my time, then it’s my time, 

and if I shot 82 today, somehow I was going to use it for His glory."

Scottie Scheffler-Masters winner 2022

a few favorite moments...(proud wife)

...and caddy

savoring the sweetness of the moment 

and the support of many fans and family

In the writer's digest poem-a-day challenge

Yesterday's Prompt was write a taste poem

Today's prompt, is write a power poem.

This poem could be entitled 

The Power of Perseverance or

The Sweet Taste of Success

This poem could be about a private, personal challenge or

The fight to faith's finish-line!

So I settled on the title 

Road to Glory

Because the glorious sweetness of success's trophy always casts a shadow;

the bitter cup of dreams dashed (for now)

Cameron Smith acknowledges appreciative applause from fans

after a disappointing finish...

This poem was written with him in mind as well

as well as all of us who

have tasted, in varying degrees, 

the bitter draught of disappointment!

The pleasing flavours/favours of success

Somehow become more sweet

When hope’s hurdles to happiness

Have been honed by defeat

Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose

Life’s course of ups and downs

Refines endurance with its dues

Of crosses before crowns

The hard knocks of ‘not yet’ beget

If we do not give up

After the challenge has been met

The sweetest victor’s cup

Defeat is not the finished fight

But just a stepping-stone

To test the mettle of the might

Of more than skin and bone

Sometimes what at first glance may seem

Like failure and regret

Is but the beauty of a dream

Not quite accomplished yet

Then keep the faith; this is the rite

Before we realize

Where what once seemed a bitter fight

Was sweetening the Prize

© Janet Martin

Shout out to Corey Connors (a former local)

 from proud Canadian fans!

Eric Liddell, when being reprimanded by his sister 

for neglecting his responsibilities before God 

as he devoted his focus toward competitive running, responded,

 “I believe that God made me for a purpose. 

But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure .”

In whatever form it takes

May we all 'run' to feel God's pleasure!

So someday we may exclaim triumphantly

2 Tim.4:7-8

I have fought a good fight,

I have finished my course, 

I have kept the faith:

 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, 

which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:

 and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.