To Count All Things But Loss...

 From the book- Streams in the Desert compiled by Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman

1 John 4:9-10

This is how God’s love was revealed among us: 

God sent His one and only Son into the world,

 so that we might live through Him.

And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us

 and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Phil.3:8

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence

of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,

for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,

and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ...

Read the whole glorious chapter HERE

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

To count all things but loss for Thee

Lord, let this faith's great honour/sole object be

For the excellent knowledge of

Jesus, my Saviour whom I love

To truly count all things but loss

As I behold the bloodstained cross

That held Thy love that never fails

Thy Hands divine, pierced through with nails

Thy body broken, Thy blood shed

My sin upon Thy sinless Head/Stead

As, on the cross of Calvary

You counted all things loss for me

You did not shirk death’s dreadful toll

To be the Saviour of my soul

Thy Father’s will, though Thou didst plea

Did not spare Thee from Calvary

Ah Lord, forbid I prize some claim

Above the glory of Thy Name

Forbid I look upon the cross

Yet cannot count all things but loss

Lest my boast, like a hollow gong

Resounds, Lord, let this be love’s song

To count all things but loss for Thee

Who counted Thy life loss for me

Lord,  all who repent and believe

Will everlasting life receive

And gain, for all eternity

The loss You bore at Calvary 

Then, fix faith's altar at the cross

Lest I forget to count but loss

All that impedes the knowledge of

Thy grace and everlasting love

© Janet Martin

I love the simplicity of this version of

When I Survey The Wondrous Cross - Fernando Ortega

Lyrics- Isaac Watts

1 When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of glory died,

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

2 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast

save in the death of Christ, my God!

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them through his blood.

3 See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown?

4 Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were a present far too small.

Love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

April Anthem

 Celebrating twelve days of April today, in all its vexing beauty...

This is one of those poems begun in the bustle of busyness

about a week ago, as I delighted in the moodiness of April.

And April was still moody, all this week-long no matter

how optimistically we said with every snow-frantic flurry,

'enjoy its beauty because this might be the last one till next winter!' 😅😁

Your world is like a picture book that Mother Nature makes...

In dips and nooks and crooks you cup impromptu ponds and lakes...

Your pages showcase weathered haunts poised on the verge of green...

With here and there the farewell taunts of Old Man Winter’s sheen...

Your brook lures us to listen to lyrics where heaven gleams

Our eyes begin to glisten with the dance of kindled dreams...

While earth lies like a mat beneath a moody, brooding sky...

a few hours later...

While front door sports a flower-wreath to bid stray snows goodbye...

Your tug-of-wars may vex us when we wake to worlds of white...

again and again!!!

Your sudden storm perplexes plots primed with tulip-delight...

But Mr. Goldfinch sports a dapper, yellow splash of cheer

Assuring us no matter what the weather, spring is here...

Your world is like a picture book that Mother Nature makes

In dips and nooks and crooks you cup impromptu ponds and lakes

Your pages showcase weathered haunts poised on the verge of green

With here and there the farewell taunts of Old Man Winter’s sheen

Your brook lures us to listen to lyrics where heaven gleams

Our eyes begin to glisten with the dance of kindled dreams

While earth lies like a mat beneath a moody, brooding sky

While front door sports a flower-wreath to bid stray snows goodbye

Your robin rouses chuckles as he freely entertains

Your brittle honeysuckle vine welcomes reviving rains

Your zephyr, like a flute unfurls a riveting prelude

To warm the whisper that uncurls leaf-laughter, long subdued

Your tug-of-wars may vex us when we wake to worlds of white

Your sudden storm perplexes plots primed with tulip-delight

But Mr. Goldfinch sports a dapper, yellow splash of cheer

Assuring us no matter what the weather, spring is here

Your world is like a flower bud waiting to burst with bloom

But first you must push through the mud we chase with mop and broom

While you run restless fingers through earth's sunshine-hungry isles 

While Old Man Winter lingers, just to melt beneath your smiles

© Janet Martin

Of Painful Joy or Of Boundless Love

 

Ps. 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley

 of the shadow of death,

 I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

 thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

1 Pet.1:6

In this you greatly rejoice, 

though now for a little while, 

if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,..

Whether on faith's mountaintop

or in the dark, lonely valley

the incomprehensible, steadfast love of God abides

to minister to body and soul's need 

Tell Me the Old, Old Story

This is a poem I am still in the process of learning...

through deep disappointments

and divine epiphanies 🙏

There is no limit to the love of God

Its height and depth thought cannot comprehend

Whether beneath the guerdon of its rod

Or in a garden where soft breezes wend

His love cannot be measured or contained

Nor with ingenious eloquence explained

The love of God is beyond reckoning

He knows the heart of man is vile indeed

The hub of prideful Fancy’s beckoning

Left unbroken, would choke faith’s mustard seed

So, lest we covet what we cannot keep

Faith’s Great Perfecter runs love’s plowshares deep

…with piercing love, He works for our good

Ah, pray for faith to see beyond the part

That is often sadly misunderstood

While He prepares the test-plots of the heart

Until faith’s finely-tilled furrows are sown

With seed that grows for His glory alone

We are the sheep of His pasture. He tends

The welfare of His flock with rod and staff

He rescues, rebukes, comforts and defends

No cost too great to work on our behalf

Because the love of the Good Shepherd knows

The dire danger of wolves in sheep’s clothes

The love of God produces painful joys

For He too faced the Tempter’s crafty charms

A shrewd maneuverer of deadly ploys

To blind us to love’s everlasting arms

To draw us from His word that girds and feeds

Thus, with both rod and staff, love intercedes

Then, for a season, if need be, love grieves

The proving of faith’s shield to quench sin’s darts

Until at last with patience, God achieves

His joy complete, only His love imparts

As the heart yields He overflows its sod

With bounty from the boundless love of God

© Janet Martin

As for This Fellow...

...as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is!

John 9:29

Amazing Grace

Do we listen when He asks us

To trust Him implicitly

On the roadway to Damascus

Have we been struck blind, to see? 

Have we committed to follow

Jesus; to 'fight the good fight'

Or do His precepts ring hollow

Because we still walk by sight 

Does 'the joy still set before us'

Satisfy our cup of grief

Does faith's Canaan-land implore us

To guard against unbelief

Has our stubborn will been broken 

As we looked on Calvary

Have we echoed Wonder spoken

'I was blind but now I see'

Have we fixed our eyes on Jesus

Has 'this fellow' been revealed;

He whose blood-bought pardon frees us

He, by whose wounds we are healed 

Is 'this fellow' our Saviour?

Has transformation begun?

Turning sight-governed behaviour 

Into faith's 'Thy will be done' 

Has Belief sight's barrier broken

By 'this fellow' humbly/wholly awed

Have our eyes of faith been opened  

To behold the Son of God

Dear, once-blind-but-now-I-see-man

Keep your courage undeterred

You will not fall prey to man's plan

Through the keeping of His Word 

Janet Martin 

 

John 9:25

He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. 

One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

Awakening to 'Living the 'Dream'

Today's poem was inspired by my niece who, yesterday, wrote on her Facebook post...

(after recovering from another round of sickness in their household)

'Walking around our property tonight, I took a moment

and realized in all the busyness & stress of home ownership & motherhood,

this is everything I've dreamed for' 💗

Thank-you J, for the reminder to treasure the moment and find the joy in it

no matter how hectic the 'happiness' spills!

'The dream' isn't only the picture-perfect moments but all of it together;

the lows make us more thankful for the highs.

This is the day the Lord has made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it!

Ps.118:24

Family milestone celebrations

are one of the happiest blessings on earth...

The other evening we celebrated Granddaughter's 6th birthday,

Which means it was her turn to receive her mommy-box/gramma box

'mommy' is the Pennsylvania-Dutch word for gramma.

(a short 'e' sound at the end rather than long)

In a mommy box 'treasures' are buried in popcorn...

Gum-lover's delight below 😂

the inside of the box is lined with little poems, pictures and bible verses

(I forgot to take a photo of the inside)

Awakening to 'Living the Dream'

To recognize that sorrow is the price we pay for joy

Loss is the proof of having had; everything comes, to pass

And grief and love are life’s most tenderly entwined alloy

Moment’s momentous momentum, sand in life’s hourglass

To recognize that highs and lows comprise ‘living the dream’

Without the brutal ‘bitter’ we would not cherish the ‘sweet’

Or taste the lilt of laughter with more reverent esteem

After the tears we shed when life and death solemnly meet

To recognize the priceless prize disguised as here-and-now

Intangible and fleet, the font that fills history’s mold

And then, with fervent thankfulness to make a humble vow

To do our part to make its art a pleasure/treasure to behold

To, recognize today is all we have, no more or less

To ‘live the dream’ by faith, not fate; to be constantly awed

By He whose loving kindness is the key to happiness

To recognize, through lows and highs, the faithfulness of God

© Janet Martin

I have decided to center my posts after all.

It's hard to teach an 'old dog' new tricks, plus

I have discovered some 'centered' poetry volumes 

in my poem book collection.

See HERE for back story on this 😆

Love's Law Of...(First things First)

While the layout of each lesson-book may vary

the requirement and result are universal because

we reap what we sow

and God is not mocked! Gal.6:7

I've been on a stretch of demanding days and

half-sleep nights. During the night, last night

the electricity must have blinked off and since I don't

have a battery back-up in my alarm clock

and since I had the blind and room-darkening curtains pulled

and since I had a sound sleep last night, I was appalled when

I looked at my phone and it was... 8:48?!! 😭😬

The tempter was there instantly with 'you over-slept!

no time for devotions today! you must hurry! hurry!"

What a most terrible way, (I have learned from experience)

to hurry, hurry into the day without first thanking and praising God for his mercies renewed,

and then lifting up our 'broken' to Him, our sick, sorrowing and lost loved ones.

Then drinking from the wellspring of His word to have our spirit refreshed and strengthened

because the flesh is weak and prone to fall prey to what it sees...

Circumstance changes constantly...

Last night, snow and ice-ensconced world...

This morning, sunshine drenched world beneath rising temps!

Tis an art the heart must master for life's story to be sweet

Success can lead to disaster if we do not learn its creed

Where the spirit oft is willing but the wanting flesh is weak

Where sight oft seems more fulfilling than ‘faith as a mustard seed’

Tis a test the best of scholars and teachers cannot evade

Nor the tribe that wears blue collars nor miners, nor astronauts

In the end we all will answer for the choices we have made

Be it maestro, merchant, dancer, five-star chef, scrubber of pots

Tis a law of awe and wonder, impossible to detail

Where wellsprings of blessing thunder from each breath no longer cursed

It will enrich dream and duty, a rubric that will not fail

As we marvel at the beauty of love’s law of First things first

© Janet Martin

One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”26“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”

27He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’c and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’d”

28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”

29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Read Jesus answer HERE...v.30-37

Take Time to be Holy

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.

Heb.13:8

...leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.
First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Matt. 5:24

Loved

Happy April!

Dear Lord, what waits, only You know

Daybreak heeds Your command

Your evidence puts on a show

As mercy floods the land

Enough, your grace whereby we go

To face the day at hand...

Without agape love I am
A beast by quick impulses ruled
My most noble ideal a sham
By pagan happinesses, schooled/fooled

Without I AM’s agape love
I am a ship tossed to and fro
No earthly anchor strong enough
To weather wanton winds that blow

Without love greater than my own
To truly love I cannot do
Until God sits on my heart’s throne
And teaches love I never knew

...and then it is no longer 'I'

But He who is the good in me

I touch His scars to satisfy

What else would still a rebel be   

© Janet Martin

Rom.5:5
And hope does not put us to shame, 

because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts 

through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God.

 Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God’s love was revealed among us:

God sent His one and onlyc Son into the world, 

so that we might live through Him.

And love consists in this: 

not that we loved God, but that He loved us 

and sent His Son as the atoning sacrificed for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another...

No Suitable Substitute

For the last while on Sunday mornings
our teaching messages have been from 1 John,
and have kindled many a meditation
of both somber evaluation and profound encouragement
leading to many coordinating passages throughout scripture.

Eccles.12:13-14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God, and keep his commandments:
for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment,
with every secret thing,
whether it be good,
or whether it be evil.

Ps.51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit:
a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise.

1 Sa.15:22
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 John 5:3
This is the love of God,
that we keep His commandments.

Disobedience/sin separated Adam and Eve
from their perfect relationship with God. Gen. 3
Sin made God sorry that He had made man; Gen.6:5-8

Sin kept Moses from the Promised Land. Num. 20:12

...and ultimately sin took God's only Son, Jesus to the cross
to be the eternal Sacrifice for sin;
to purchase our pardon, for all who repent and believe.
Jesus, who pled to God the Father,
if it be possible let this cup pass from me;
nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will... Matt.26:39
And Jesus was obedient to death, even death on a cross. Phil. 2:8

Thus, by the grace of God we can be saved,
not by good works lest we boast,
but for good works God prepared in advance for us to do.
Eph. 2:8-10

The old quote 'actions speak louder than words' rings true!
How hollow are the words 'I love you' without the fruit of deeds to prove it!

Oh Lord as we begin a new week help us anew
to trust in You with all our hearts,
and to fear you and keep Your commandments!

No substitute could suffice to wash away our sin, but Jesus' blood. Heb.10:4-10

No substitute, outside of obedience, can bear witness to the righteousness of God in us. 1 John 2:3

No substitute will do
No pretense will suffice
Nor lenient logic reason through
Faith in God’s proving price

No joy will be complete
No noble cause defend
No clause corrupts the mercy seat
Of God, both Judge and Friend

God, faithful to forgive
Beholds the heart alone
He witnesses the fruit we live
And thus, the tree is known

There is no substitute
No judgement-proof façade
Obedience is the pure fruit
Of love and faith in God

© Janet Martin