Contemplating Enough Love...

Contemplating how much is enough love for He who loves us with all He has! 

1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 

that we should be called children of God!

 Therefore the world does not know us, 

because it did not know Him.

I Love You, Lord...

Not enough to live aware of Higher Power that exists

Not enough to talk of love when deed does not acknowledge it

Not enough, one day a week to give a pious nod to He

Who leaves ninety-nine sheep to seek one who is lost…one was me

Not enough to make the most of what we boast and plan and dream

Yet in turn holding the Giver of life in modest esteem

He who from and through and unto are all things, be glorified

He who left His throne in Heaven for a cross on which he died

Hallelujah, what a Saviour! God gave his best for man’s worst

Not enough to say we love Him but refuse to put Him first

Not enough, a ten-percent-of-what-is-mine-mine to suffice

Not enough until we lie on the altar of sacrifice

Not enough ‘til we seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness

Heart and soul and mind resigned to His will with devoted ‘yes’

Until we no longer worry about what morrow might bring

Not enough until we love enough to give/leave our all to Him

© Janet Martin

No matter what we do, the most commonplace task becomes sacred

when rendered for Christ!

Yes, even picking potato bugs! 😅

Joy-Health (Or, The More We Trust...)

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the LORD and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body

and nourishment to your bones.

Prov.3:5-8

The joy that trusting God imparts

Is health to our bones and hearts

Love beckons faith to taste and see

The grace that sets our spirits free

To soar beyond the dread and fear

Of doom and gloom’s leaden veneer

To green pastures and waters still

To rest in the peace of God’s will

Rather than wrestling futilely 

And fretting about what might be

Oh God, instill in me/us anew

The sweet, sweet peace of trusting You

Shield us from trying to be wise

In the logic of our own eyes  

Then, underestimate Your Hand

Because we cannot understand 

But with rev'rent humility

Help us to place our trust in Thee

So through the power of Your word

Our faith and hope are undeterred

...as You satisfy bones and hearts

With health, that trusting You imparts

For no matter what we pass through

Nothing can sever us from You

No height or depth or breadth transcends

Your love upon which faith depends

As joy unspeakable applauds

You, God above all other gods

Who, though we have not seen You yet

The more we trust, the less we fret 

© Janet Martin

I was going to pick a few favorite verses

 from a precious Psalm,  Psalm 37

but every single verse is a stunner!!

This Psalm brims with hopeful truths I need to reread often 

because I am forgetful! (then prone to become fretful)

1. Do not fret because of those who are evil

or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither,

like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Take delight in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 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.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,

but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he knows their day is coming.

14 The wicked draw the sword

and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16 Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,

but the Lord upholds the righteous.

18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

19 In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20 But the wicked will perish:

Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous give generously;

22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,

but those he curses will be destroyed.

23 The Lord makes firm the steps

of the one who delights in him;

24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,

for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

25 I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be a blessing.[b]

27 Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

28 For the Lord loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[c];

the offspring of the wicked will perish.

29 The righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it forever.

30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

and their tongues speak what is just.

31 The law of their God is in their hearts;

their feet do not slip.

32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

intent on putting them to death;

33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked

or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34 Hope in the Lord and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more;

though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

a future awaits those who seek peace.[d]

38 But all sinners will be destroyed;

there will be no future[e] for the wicked.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 37, Wait Patiently (a new musical setting)

Boon of New Today

Psalm 40:16

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee:

let such as love thy salvation say continually,

The LORD be magnified.

Above the boon of New Today

A slice of moon slip-slips away

Time’s primed pronouncements of decay

Presents us with love’s latest charge

Where so much worse and better waits

To rush dawn’s diamond-studded gates

…a big balloon that dusk deflates

but now is like a gleaming barge

...bearing us to new highs and lows

Where farewells, disguised as hellos

Untether high-fives and low-blows

Like loosed petals that glim and glance

And settle where the dust we stirred

Is cast in Past and echo-blurred

Swept up in a tide, undeterred

In the better and worse life grants

Where much enchants and much offends

Where kindness always makes amends

And life is short, so let’s be friends

Before the boon of new Today

Is swaddled beneath shadow-shawls

And lost, save in the fond footfalls

As thought retraces steps through halls

That showcase what has slipped away

© Janet Martin

A Little Piece of Life...

In every flare and fizzle of future turning to past...

In every stolen breath kindled by innocence run rife...

In every curlicue capturing colors, echo-cast...

In every snared doggerel lives a a little piece of life  

(Grandchildren are the most wonderfully wearying creatures in the world!!)😅💖

Sometimes as another beloved June 'bites the dust' an intense

ink-storm is roused inducing another attempt to tame Time into Poem

***

Poetry is much more than ink finagled into art

Much more than oratory chants or dance of lilt and rhyme

In every poem wafts a wisp of the troubadour’s heart

In every lyric lives a little kiss from Father Time

In every sigh, a tie that binds the bard to fellowmen

In every line a memento of mortal’s common bond

In every tender tempest roused by pictures from a pen

A friendly sense of kinship on a journey to Beyond

In every ebb and flow of wonder-hunger satisfied

In every surge of season-dust wrangled to parchment shores

In every turn of page that feels akin to eventide

Something far more than meets the eye appeases and implores

Ah, Poetry is more than glint and gleam of ink-cajole

In every throb of empathy where love and longing meld

It tunes us to a toll that rattles the cage of the soul

To Cord that will be severed and to Frond that will be felled

In every touch that tugs within where hope and despair wars

In ever scene that stirs a fond and sentimental tear

In every finite reach of thought humbled by heaven’s stars

Poetry hones us to the holiness of now and here

The meeting place of angst and awe and all points in between

Startling ‘aha’ epiphanies that trial and error earn

Tremble in every surge of poetry’s syllabic mien

To remind us since time began, ah, such is live-and-learn

In every flare and fizzle of future turning to past

In every stolen breath kindled by innocence run rife

In every curlicue capturing colors, echo-cast

In every snared doggerel lives a a little piece of life  

© Janet Martin

Happy Canada Day

A few links below to previous Canada Day poems!

They reiterate concerns becoming more dire 

and freedom becoming more dear with each year!!

Happy Canada Day!

O, Canada 

Prayer For Canada (or From Shore to Shore)

Somber Celebration-Happy Canada Day

O Canada, glorious and Free (oh, North America)

O True North, How long Will You Be Strong and Free?

Lamentations 3:40

Let us examine and probe our ways,

And let us return to the Lord.

Isaiah 55:7

Let the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion on him,

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

Crook of Joy

Making muffins...simple joy!

Sometimes, out of the blue, a wave of sympathy rolls through me 

as I wave at grandchildren leaving,

 or as son comes home for visit and fridge-forage, 

or as the word 'home' slips from my lips without second thought, 

until suddenly I am smitten with utter grief 

for the millions of refugees who had to flee their home-sweet-homes...

Sometimes then, the Simple Sacred steals my breath

with a fresh and humble thankfulness

for the beauty of our beloved crook of joy...home!

Yes, with all of love's foibles and flaws, home, sweet home!!

Enjoying the final bowl full of 

plush, pink peony-pom-poms for this year!

Where child and garden flourishes in fleet simplicity

Where more than supper nourishes its precious company

Where comforts are not fancy but are priceless, nonetheless

And nothing on earth quite compares to its fair happiness

Where flower bouquets bring beauty to duty’s dear mundane

Where nobody outgrows the open arms of its domain

Where heartaches are confided, where we learn to give and take

Where tasks are oft divided but then, so is tea and cake

Where wonderful aromas waft through open kitchen door

And suddenly our burdens weigh less than they had before

Where the brunt of life's blessings overflows our tender hearts

With thankfulness for home sweet home and all that it imparts

Where prayers and cares soft-mingle in medleys of smiles and tears

Where summer always flies too fast into Past’s cast of years

Where patience is a virtue of great benefit and cheer

To safeguard joy and peace while youngsters learn to persevere

Where we are always welcome to forage the cookie jar

Or fridge or pantry no matter how older-now we are

Where no matter the weather or how far away we roam

No place on earth is better than the berth of home-sweet-home

Oh Lord, we grieve for those whose homes they had to swiftly flee

And leave behind rooms filled with mementos of family

How oft we mourn the war-torn town and countryside bereft

Of happiness of home sweet home and only rubble left

Then, we with meeker labor, repent of some selfish ploy

And become humbly gladder for our home-sweet crook of joy

Where there is nothing commonplace about its grace of chores

Or laughter round its tables or mothers waving from doors

© Janet Martin

So what's today's 'grace of chores'? 

Weeding!

The rain makes everything grow!

Colossians 3:17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, 

do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 

giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

(distracting baby with a coffee-tin drum

because he wanted to mix muffins too!!)😂💗

The Depth of Man's Depravity (when fear of God has died)

There are no words for the depth

of aghast horror, pity, and sorrow we feel over

exploitation and applause of gross evil!

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. 

Who can understand it?

Matthew 13:15

For this people's heart has grown callous;

they hardly hear with their ears, 

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts,

and turn,

and I would heal them.'

Rom.1:24-25

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts

 to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, 

and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—

who is forever praised. 

Amen.

Psalm 19:9

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;

the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous.

Revelation 19:2

For His judgments are true and just.

He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality.

He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her hand."

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus

The depth of man’s depravity when fear of God has died

When Self becomes the deity worshipped and gratified

When Ignorance is mired in the sludge of disregard

For God, the righteous Judge; when sin becomes master and lord

How piteous and dire are the depths of man’s demise

When lust feasts on desire and yet nothing satisfies

How holy is the God of love, of salvation and grace

His workmanship, without words, proves what infidels debase

The fear of God is pure, altogether righteous and true

His judgements will endure; nothing can His purpose undo

Incomprehensible the thoughts and ways of God’s control

All who believe adore and praise the Saviour of the soul

How ruthless the depravity of darkness of the mind

How heinous, the grim gravity of hellbent humankind

That we all are until by faith the soul’s curse is undone

Belief receives God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ, His Son

Who died Once and For all sinners, to crush the serpent’s head

So all who, through faith, call on Him are saved from death’s/hell’s dark dread

The depth of man’s depravity when fear of God departs

Exposes vile desperately deceitful, wicked hearts

When Indolence and Indulgence applauds the profligate

And fruits of disobedience proudly proliferate

Then, from we who by God’s grace have been saved, rises a cry

Before it is too late, ‘Behold, redemption draweth nigh’

© Janet Martin

Rom.11:33

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

 How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

Ultimatum of Diligence...

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, 

be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 

2 Pet.3:14

Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest,

 lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 

Heb.4:11

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence

 to the full assurance of hope until the end, 

Heb.6:11

Whether of body...

or mind

or soul...

it requires diligence to conquer the goal!

***

Diligence is not like a task we check from to-do lists

It is no once-and-done accomplishment high-fived and kissed

But a constant challenge traversed on the turf of Today

Where often slips and stumbles hurt, reprimand and dismay

Tempting us to yield to what seems a less demanding way

Diligence is not something that is effortless and swift

But a persistent ‘pressing to,’ so that we do not drift

Away from guidelines to habits not focused on the goal

Of mastering the disciplines of body, mind, and soul

Where each step of the journey is part of the sacred whole

Ultimate diligence is not dressed in dashing façade

But in humble awareness of sure reckoning with God

It heeds the beckoning of Love and considers its due

Relying on God’s Word to remain undeterred and true

Motivated my Heaven’s Rest when diligence is through

© Janet Martin