For Preciousness of Souls...

Happy Almost Mid-May!!

Once more the day the Lord has made extends the goodness of God’s grace...

We never know what a day holds!

We will never know the ways of God, save this;

all things work together for good to those who love Him 

and are called according to His purpose. (Rom.8:28)

All things! 

though disappointments crush,

though sorrows roll,

though disobedience appears to flourish,

though faith is tested,

though many prayers seem to go unanswered,

though cares groan in our mortal tent

God is working these things together for good 

to those who truly, utterly love Him

and are earnestly seeking to serve God's purposes 

rather than desires of the human heart. 

The human bent of the heart is deceitful above all things

and desperately wicked 

and until faith reaches the place where we are willing

to place our dearly-beloved Isaacs on the altar of sacrifice, 

trusting God's holy and righteous love/will above all, 

we struggle and fall,

 because we are born with a rebellious nature,

and thought that errs!

God's purpose calls us, not to be true to ourselves,

but true to Him! 

2 Cor.5:9-11&14-15

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, 

to be well pleasing to Him. 

10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 

that each one may receive the things done in the body, 

according to what he has done, 

whether good or bad. 

11Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, 

we persuade men; but we are well known to God, 

and I also trust are well known in your consciences...

14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: 

that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, 

that those who live should live no longer for themselves, 

but for Him who died for them and rose again.

2 Pet.3:8-9

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, 

that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, 

and a thousand years as one day. 

9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, 

as some count slackness, 

but is longsuffering toward [c]us,

 not willing that any should perish 

but that all should come to repentance.

(I really wanted to write about mothers and tots, 

my family, spring beauty, friends and so much that has confounded delight recently, 

and maybe I still will, but the sacred Source of awe and purpose

 seemed to sound a more solemn note to start a new week! )  

***

Once more the preciousness of souls compels all who believe to pray

Because the holiest of goals approaches with each passing day

This transient tent of skin and bone is but Immortality’s cloak

A dwelling place in which we groan, while should'ring love’s compelling yoke

The human heart is full of schemes to serve the part/art that eyes behold

Tossed to and fro by ‘that which seems’ rather than what God’s word has told

Not how one talks but how one walks bears witness to faith’s diligence

Beware of subtle stumbling blocks dressed in kind disobedience

Study ‘the way that seemeth right’, lest it is filled with compromise

Lest first impressions of delight tempt us with ‘you will become wise’

Lest, in the garden of today, we fall prey to temptation’s vice

Enticed by ‘did God really say?’ rather than humble sacrifice

Once more the day the Lord has made extends the goodness of God’s grace

The example, when Christ obeyed still guides the whole of human race

Faultless and faithful to the end, He bore, for preciousness of souls

The death of convicts, to defend, nay, break the curse where darkness rolls

This Tent is more than food and clothes; time’s flicker, no mean, cosmic whim

The cross, love’s proof that God first chose to save all who believe in Him

Then pray, for preciousness of souls, we take up love’s cross for His sake

Because the holiest of goals approaches, with each breath we take

© Janet Martin

Is Your All on the Altar? 

Lyrics by Elisha Hoffman-1839-1929

1 You have longed for sweet peace,

And for faith to increase,

And have earnestly, fervently prayed.

But you cannot have rest,

Or be perfectly blest,

Until all on the altar is laid.

Refrain:

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?

Your heart does the Spirit control?

You can only be blest,

And have peace and sweet rest,

As you yield Him your body and soul.

2 Would you walk with the Lord

In the light of His Word,

And have peace and contentment alway?

You must do His sweet will

To be free from all ill–

On the altar your all you must lay. [Refrain]

3 Oh, we never can know

What the Lord will bestow

Of the blessings for which we have prayed,

Till our body and soul

He doth fully control,

And our all on the altar is laid. [Refrain]

4 Who can tell all the love

He will send from above,

And how happy our hearts will be made,

Of the fellowship sweet

We shall share at His feet

When our all on the altar is laid! [Refrain]

For The Sacred Sake of Souls...

Greed, coupled with unscrupulous savvy

 can accrue great worldly wealth,

but at what cost?!

Love, coupled with fear of God

will, through humble generosity

  accrue great heavenly treasure

of unfathomable gain!! 

Which 'wealth' do we pursue?

Who consumes our thought?

Who thrills our soul?

With the word TARIFF weighing on many minds

aren't you SO thankful for Who IS,

FOREVER FAITHFUL/TRUSTWORTHY and TRUE.

You Are Mine

No Friend Like Jesus

All That Thrills My Soul is Jesus

Lest care for temporary gain dictates what we pursue

Lest prayer is a pious refrain or Duty's daily due

Lord, lest we lose faith's fervent love and let it grow lukewarm

With minds set, not on things above, but on earth's fleeting charm 

Lord, for the sacred sake of souls, lest ease becomes a snare

Let trouble take its holy toll to waken us to prayer

Lest we grow blind and deaf and numb to Thy kind faithfulness

Lest heart and soul and mind become consumed with worldliness

Dear Lord, lest pride and greed take root and thus choke out Good Seed

Let trouble waken us to fruit, known by thought, word and deed

Let it expose selfish footholds that grieve You, Holy God  

Lord, for the sacred sake of souls, do not withhold love's rod

Lest our mouth Your praise extols with heart cold and afar

Lord, for the sacred sake of souls, remind us who You are

You are the hope of humankind, You died and rose again!!

All who call on your Name will find rest for their souls, amen 

And You alone know what it takes to make our love more true

You know, tis for Soul's Sacred Sake; trouble draws us to You

Janet Martin

  

Originally I was going to share 

only the last verse of the chapter below

but the whole chapter is so timely and comforting

I changed my mind 🙏💗

Ps.138 NKJV

The Lord’s Goodness to the Faithful

A Psalm of David.

 I will praise You with my whole heart;

Before the gods I will sing praises to You.

2 I will worship toward Your holy temple,

And praise Your name

For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me,

And made me bold with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord,

When they hear the words of Your mouth.

5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

For great is the glory of the Lord.

6 Though the Lord is on high,

Yet He regards the lowly;

But the proud He knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;

You will stretch out Your hand

Against the wrath of my enemies,

And Your right hand will save me.

8 The Lord will [a]perfect that which concerns me;

Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

Today Twofer ...Cradle of Eternity and Today's Most Estimable Gift

Yesterday we celebrated the child that turned Jim and I into grandparents!

Happy 7th Birthday, Grandson!

Simply being there may look like nothing much

(dear weary, young mother/parent),

 but, is in essence, everything!

Oh, the efforts that may seem to count for nothing here

 but may count for everything There!🙏🙏🙏

By God's grace, keep on.

Above, we simply see a birthday cake!!

 not the baking of it by Very Sleep-deprived mom 

after children are tucked into bed,

We don't see the many, messy, mundane, oops, 

I mean SACRED interruptions/frustrations

 to bring it to fulfillment!😅💓

Technology/screen-time has many negatives in the development of children BUT

this is one of the best positives; being able to laugh and chat with cousins 

over 2000 kilometers away!!

“Children are not a distraction from more important work.

 They are the most important work.”

– Dr. John Trainer

(according to this site, the above quote is misattributed to C.S. Lewis)

Children are by far the most important work!

because...

Beneath the wide, missing-toothed grin

That six and seven year old sports

Beneath Innocent Countenance 

That Time's Insistence soon aborts

 Beneath the sweet Cocoon of Youth

Trembles an Immutable Flame

As irrefutable as Truth

Unthwarted by denial's claim

This truth kindles a deeper look

At faces that we love so dear

At babies nestled in arm's crook

At hugs, as we draw loved ones near

Because, beneath the part we see

Exists the Thing That Never Dies

The Cradle of Eternity

Has missing teeth and eager eyes 

...a-sparkle with dream-giddy stars

Where footsteps that dash wild and free

Are bearing a most sacred charge

The Cradle of Eternity

Because, the part that melts the heart

With the velocity/Curiosity of Youth 

Cradles the soul, that precious Part

That looks to us to teach/tell the Truth 

© Janet Martin

Eccles.12:1

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,

 before the days of trouble come 

and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them"—

I began the poem below yesterday...

Inspired in part by this passage

 (which also helped inspire the above poem) 

Ps.78:5-7

For He established a testimony in Jacob,

And appointed a law in Israel,

Which He commanded our fathers,

That they should make them known to their children;

 That the generation to come might know them,

The children who would be born,

That they may arise and declare them to their children,

That they may set their hope in God,

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments;...

from this devotion...

from this book...

Before the poem was completed Eagerness arrived to steal the show with sweetness!

when Little Brother noticed Big Sister about to be the 'star',

he, ever-so-full-of -'innocent'-mischief did his thing😂😂😇

Can't you just about hear his very enthusiastic 'CHE-E-E-ESE!!'💖😅

We still managed one without his shenanigans 

(that keep everyone laughing and pulling their hair out!😂😅)

After they left, Gramma needed a nap before

heading out to above birthday celebration!

Today's most estimable part is valuable to know

Though its most vital works of art may never steal the show

It ought to stoke a lion’s roar in hearts of you and me

Because today swings wide the Door of Opportunity

Where what we do with what we have holds more than first appears

The impact of Now’s aftermath fills more than yesteryears

As repercussion of reply unravels in its wake

A footpath forged by you and I, for future feet to take

Today’s most estimable part is sacred to the touch

Though, at first glance its works of art may not appear as much

Beneath the part we see the root establishes the tree

That will, for good or ill, bear fruit for all eternity

Sometimes eternity can feel far off, and quite unreal

Sometimes Impulse can spar and scoff at God’s/time’s/love’s patient appeal

Sometimes, today’s most estimable gift, we hardly see

As God fills up the cup we lift with Opportunity

© Janet Martin

Let's not lose heart by dwelling on

 opportunities lost or missed

but seize the part we build upon;

Now, 

goodness-glossed and mercy-kissed

No Mean Miracle This...

A preacher once challenged his listeners with this thought;

If God granted us one glimpse of heaven

or one glimpse of hell...hell would be empty;

Heaven so awesome, hell so awful!

This mortal body instilled with immortal soul is no mean miracle

It is the awesome opportunity to believe in the One who made it possible

through his death and resurrection, to spend eternity

in a perfection we cannot begin to fathom...

1 Cor.2:9

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Do you love Him?

Have you believed in Him and

received his gift?

Eph.2:8-9

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—

and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Therefore, because every one of us is an Immortal Soul clad with a temporary cloak

let's treat each other with utmost awareness of what we all bear

in common... this, then eternity!

No mean miracle this; Soul stoked/cloaked with breath of life

No game of chance, no traitor’s kiss of death to insult strife

No futile farse is faith, no hoax, hope’s holy stairs

No pompous or pious charade, worship’s parade of prayers

Time tunes a transient toll; the body like a barge

That bears the cargo of the soul; a very sacred charge

Through life, a precious gift we unwrap day by day

Until the final, fleeting weft/breath of wrapping falls away

God’s love is without lack; His armor has no chink

His goodness groans on our behalf beyond what thought can think

His ways transcend the scope of logic’s keenest ken

His promises anchor the hope of all who trust. Amen.

No mean miracle this; body with soul instilled

For God, so rich in mercy is the law of love fulfilled

He beckons all to come; to repent and believe

This is no mean ultimatum He suffered to achieve

…His pardon for our sin; a debt we could not pay

Ah, heed the Voice that pleads within! Believe in Him today

Lest what is mean at last is our rebel pride

Who knew the miracle, but cast its saving grace aside

© Janet Martin

Star-Trek

The pulpit from which the sermons through

my childhood were preached is tattooed with echoes of this verse (among others)

2 Pet.1:10

Wherefore the rather, brethren, 

give diligence to make your calling and election sure:

as Ira Brubacher's passionate cautions reverberated through the building

(and which I thought, back then, were quite repetitive)

but now begin to understand his pleading 

often accentuated with a somber, softened 'ye-e-e-s! y-e-e-e-s!

Because no one can afford not to make their calling and election sure!

No one can afford eternity 

without hope, without light, without goodness, without God

Our journey through the stars to God

Is traveled on earth’s blip of sod

A myriad of highs and lows

Until the sacred curtain close

When beyond the shortfall of sight

The mystery of Soul takes flight

Whether a feather or a bird

The flight of Soul is undeterred

Untethered in that final breath

To the un-brevity of death

Whether we believe or deny

The Soul will prove God does not lie

Where time is but the toll we trod

On soul-journeys through stars to God

© Janet Martin

Still...

Life is like a box of Chocolates.

you never know what you're gonna get.

~ Forrest Gump

 

Sometimes that's how I feel about poetry before it is bitten/written!

SO much to taste; as fingers move you just never know what the end result will be!

Above photo from the book Through Irish Eyes

Do you ever look at history books and wonder at the photos, 

the fashions, the 'normal' of the time?!

Do you ever read a book from ages past,

and marvel at how much has changed

only to read the story of the people in the pictures

to realize that beneath façade 

humanity is as much the same as ever?!

People with souls pressing toward hope-and-dream goals

with many a bump along the way...

This poem took off in a totally different direction than I was expecting

when I first felt 'the niggle'...

That's the joy of poetry; you never know what you're gonna get!😄

Time does not change the way it pours four seasons round and round

It does not hasten or meander, ever tick-tock bound

Sunrise, sunset, now dry, now wet, now plant, now harvest, oh

Where it seems little stays the same as ages come and go

…but some things stay; life’s ilk of silk and steel still much the same

As on the day when Adam pointed at his wife with blame

The sweetness of indulgence of forbidden fruit is brief

Consequence still lasts so much longer borne with bitter grief

Yes, little stays the same but oh, the heart left to its rule

Is still desp’rately wicked as it caters to the fool

Pride still precedes destruction, arrogance authors the fall

And humble pie is still a most unpleasant victual

The youth that we try to preserve will still always fall prey

To Father Time who does not swerve or waver in his way

When man still loves a woman and a woman loves a man

Till death doth part, we still glimpse the heart of the Master's Plan

Innocence of a child is still the purest joy on earth

Mirth finds its dearest laughter and life finds its sweetest worth

Where man, still born to trouble will soon discover its rod

Push-pull, heave-ho, uphill we go, still by the grace of God

We still reap what we sow; God is not mocked, though some will dare

To think they can, spurning the love that didst their pardon bear

Man’s understanding still grapples with Lord God’s Sovereignty

The rebel still plucks ‘apples’ from the still forbidden tree

God's gift of grace is still free if we repent and believe

The sinner on one's own cannot redemption’s work achieve

We still all have only one life, death’s sickle sweeps the earth

And one by one we will return to He who authors birth

Time and humanity, while progress changes the façade

Are beneath the authority of Everlasting God

And while so little stays the same, some things will never change

Because of the Undying Soul no mortal can estrange

© Janet Martin

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Heb.13:8

Be still and know that I am God

Psalm 46:10

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

 do not fret when people succeed in their ways, 

when they carry out their wicked schemes

Psalm 37:7

Still, Still With Thee

How Very Dust We Are, or Circumstantial Happiness

One of my favorite poets is Edgar A. Guest

Rich writing in a layman's terms because what doth it profit 

anyone if a poem is only understood by the poet?

Sharing a few gems for your benefit!

What if love gets so fixated on fringes and forgets 

What matters most where life is full of boast-euphoric bets 

What if the only thing I have when this day-fling is done 

Are accolades that perish with the setting of time’s sun 

What if I get so focused on the fray that I ignore 

The approach of The Judgment Day and Who we are here for 

Too taken up with ‘treasures’ that are volatile at best 

Admitting in an awful end, that I have failed the test 

What if I take goodness for granted without thankful praise 

And never root out the rebel in human-natured ways 

What if trouble would never double its substantial rod 

And I would never truly humble myself before God 

What if, this tenement of hopes and dreams housed nothing more 

Than dust-to-dust sequestered schemes of selfish, greedy gore 

Because I didn’t bother to acquaint myself with He 

Who, when this life is over unveils Immortality 

What if the ‘Glad tidings of great joy’ that the angels brought 

Would never touch the heart; the part that transforms idle thought 

What if I miss the only thing worth anything, That Day 

Because I was too focused on all that will pass away 

What if nothing reminded us How Very Dust We Are

How Circumstantial Happiness is like a shiny car

That soon loses its luster, in a heap of rusted sham

The gates of hell are decorated with dust-glitz and glam 

Pray that I fix my eyes upon a Prize I cannot see

Where nothing in this world can take the place of Calvary

...and the price of salvation wrought to pay sin's deadly toll 

What profit to gain the whole world only to lose The Soul

© Janet Martin

 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 

Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Matt.16:26

What If, After All The Laughter...

No laughing matter if...

What if, after all the laughter...

all the flowers that we held...

What if after all the laughter, 

All the flowers that we held 

We have nothing left that matters 

When our fleeting frame is felled 

What if, after so much pardoned 

After precious mem’ries made 

We depart with heart still hardened 

Never trusted, never prayed 

What if, after we have tasted 

Mercy-upon-mercy poured 

We have ultimately wasted 

The Gift that we just ignored 

(The Gift offered by the Lord)

What if we are not forgiven 

What if we never receive 

The inheritance of Heaven 

Because we did not believe 

What if, after all the laughter

And tears, as time took its toll

We did not yield to the Author

Of Salvation for the soul

© Janet Martin 

Every so often I listen to this powerful song...

Almost Persuaded- Josh Turner

....and often I weep for cold shoulders turned away

from The Gift

Eph.2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--

and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--

Mark 16:16
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; 

but he that believeth not shall be damned.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, 

he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins 

and purify us from all unrighteousness.

John 3:16

for God so loved the world

that He gave His only begotten son

that whosoever believes in Him

will not perish but have everlasting life

Why does it matter so much if our name is not written

in the Book of Life??

Rev.20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. 

The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 

12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. 

The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, 

and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, 

and each person was judged according to what they had done. 

14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. 

The lake of fire is the second death. 

15Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life 

was thrown into the lake of fire.

Quite a Day-and-Night Indictment

Sometimes dawn is a gray slate,

..and sometimes a scroll of molten pink and gold!

...but always the same God bestows!

Darkness recedes as daylight seeps from deeps unscathed by eyes 

The seamless sweep of moments metes new day’s virginal prize 

Time’s treasure trove of push and shove and Love’s stumble-pocked chase 

Is overflowing with the glowing Evidence of grace 

The darksome lid of Said-and-Did lowered and sealed its cask 

Where what seems hidden is soon bidden to some fellow’s flask 

There is a spigot in the frigate filled with gated shores 

And from the drum of Said-and-done its gravid gumption pours 

This breath of life is like a knife where strife and hunger test 

Its death-doomed roar with birth once more in tours form east to west 

Where Hope, abreast dawn’s maiden quest that soon begets farewell 

Will help us cope while moments slope toward Heaven or hell 

This daily grace none can retrace, laced with most Sacred Fact 

Is like a barge laden with Charge, life-at-large keeps intact 

Darkness recedes while Someone heeds the needs none can outfox 

Soul, hidden in a skiff of rag-thin skin, sutured by clocks 

Tick-tock, tick-tock, stitching and unravelling synchronized 

The boon of morning, noon and night, a schooner, Mercy-prized 

Its journey to, nay, through the grave, may seem sustained on sod 

But it is quite a day-and-night-indicted trek to God 

© Janet Martin 

Sometimes I like to take rhyming challenges to the limits...

It isn't perfect, but was still a thrill to try.

The beginning of the Book of  Ecclesiastes;

 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

“Vanity[a] of vanities,” says the Preacher;

“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

What profit has a man from all his labor

In which he [b]toils under the sun?4 

One generation passes away, and another generation comes;

But the earth abides forever.5 

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,

And [c]hastens to the place where it arose.6 

The wind goes toward the south,

And turns around to the north;

The wind whirls about continually,

And comes again on its circuit.7 

All the rivers run into the sea,

Yet the sea is not full;

To the place from which the rivers come,

There they return again.8 

All things are [d]full of labor;

Man cannot express it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

Nor the ear filled with hearing

That which has been is what will be,

That which is done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun.

The Ending of the Book of Ecclesiastes;

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.

14 

For God will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing,

Whether good or evil.

Soul/Sole Security

Seems fall-lovers here in Ontario

continue to be thrilled to the max by 

an exceptionally colorful version of the season

in what has been an exceptionally trying year!

The picture below is from a photo-poem desk calendar 

I received out of the blue (no birthday or anything) the other year

from my sister; I keep re-enjoying it because there's always pages I've missed or forgotten!

(I think that's why each season never loses its splendor; the missing and forgetting😊)

No matter what season we are in

may it always be a season of prayer,

Because Time is a turbulent tide!

Sickness of body and soul 

and so much beyond our control

insist we choose either faith or fear

to be compass and guide...

Fear flings us into foaming deeps

without a hope or prayer

Faith (even mustard-seed in size) 

is the firm anchor that keeps

us from drowning in despair

We surf a sea of season-tides 

What hides in its momentous deep 

Could keep us from hope’s sheer delight 

And rob us of laughter and sleep 

We bobble between faith and fear 

Because there is no clear-cut course 

Carved through the waves that vault and veer 

And dash us with violent force 

No one can claim clear-sailing grants 

Or tame the turbulence of Test 

Where surf and turf of circumstance 

Is always volatile at best 

Nobody knows what lies ahead 

How then can we find joy and peace 

Fear fills our hearts with doubt and dread 

Where dark the doleful clouds increase 

Faith finds the anchor that abides 

In He who hears each humble prayer 

And cups the sea of season-tides 

And all its ‘surfers’ in His care 

Then since, beyond our control

The toll of time rolls like the sea

Surely the faith that makes us whole

Is our sole/soul security

 

© Janet Martin 

Matthew 8:26
"You of little faith," Jesus replied, "why are you so afraid?" 

Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, 

and it was perfectly calm.

There are SO many seasons in life not marked by a calendar!

For whatever season we are in here's hoping

we have a Friend to weather whatever the weather be...

What a Friend We Have in Jesus