Reminder to Remember

Recently I heard this comment (quoted loosely);

The saddest life of all is giving our all 

to something that turns out in the end,

to be completely and utterly worthless/meaningless.

The author of the book of Ecclesiastes

 ponders the meaning of life, finds great wealth 

and tastes every heart's desire

only to come to this awesome conclusion 

after realizing everything in this world is ultimately vanity...

Eccles.12:13-14

Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil.

The beauty of the earth is a glimpse-of-Heaven backdrop

to the brutality of the battle of wills

between man and God/God and man

(This reminder to remember was written to myself

and anyone else who can relate to the battle of want

between what is temporal and what is eternal)

...also a bit of a continuance along the lines of thought

that inspired yesterday's poem

 

Sometimes the guise of lesser prizes we are yearning for

Can blind us to the binding gait of those who’ve gone before

The price we are willing to pay, sometimes not worth the cost

For something that will fade away in death, forever lost

Sometimes we grapple with apples of want’s eye, and we miss

The treasure that transcends the pleasure of This transient kiss

For time's measure of moments melts like snowflakes in the sun

While warp and weft of seasons weaves and unravels as one

Sometimes the diamond in our dreams is not as it appears

The pinnacle doffed of its gleam as its procurement nears

The glamor of achievement and the clamor of applause

A trophy of bereavement on ashes of futile cause

God, help us to remember you behold and know our need

Help us note and surrender gloating gods of pride and greed

Help us guard against pitfalls decked in visual appeal

And help us not to put our trust in what we think and feel

God, open our heart’s eyes as we seek and search Your Word

So, stepping-stones and stumbling blocks are not confused and blurred

Remind us, not one jot or tittle is hidden from You

And all will give account when this little lifetime is through

God, keep our eyes upon a prize beyond all mortal ken

For the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, amen

Help us put on Your whole armor, with humble, sacred breath

Lest we stray to a way that seems right, but its end is death

© Janet Martin

Proverbs 12:15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.

Proverbs 16:25

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Good, Better, Best

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly

 above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Eph.3:20

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Phil.2:13

This is the time of year when in boxes and mail boxes are FLOODED with pleas for donations

 leaving us wishing we could help them all! they are all worthy causes.

The Red Cross seeks to touch our hearts with a packet of tangible gifts,

right down to a personalized pen to sign and send; no excuses!!

Today's Devotion in the book Streams in the Desert

struck me with the realization that to give is more than

the licking of an envelope with 'gift enclosed'

more than a few clicks on a keyboard after hitting

'donate now' then forgetting as soon as we exit the page.

Rather, monetary aid hopefully is the small part in the

much larger labor of praying for the causes to which we give!

In my in box, just to name a few;

The Canadian Bible Society seeks to bring the

hope of the God's Word to those who do not have access to bibles.

Focus on the Family seeks to minister in various ways to strengthen families

in this troubled and confused age.

Our local churches seek to minister in our own communities...

and the list goes on!!

Praying we all pray for guidance to know where

to do our part with a generous heart!

To ‘do’ is a good start

To give is pleasing too

But to pray is the vital part

Of all we say and do

For as we pray toward

The hope to which we live

We will better honor the Lord

With what we do and give

To give is well and good

To ‘do’ our part is fair

But to live and love like we should

Begins and ends with prayer

The good of love's kind quest

Is better every day

As we are blessed with Mercy's best

Because we pray and pray

Then, what seems commonplace

Turns into worship where

Exceedingly abundant grace

Works God's pleasure through prayer 

© Janet Martin

We may not be able to help everyone but everyone can help someone,

hopefully beginning with prayer and seeking to honour God

in all we give and do!

Eph.6:18

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions 

with all kinds of prayers and requests. 

With this in mind, be alert 

and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times 

and not lose heart:

Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, 

but in everything, by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Thanks-living Lyric

Happy Thanksgiving to our American neighbors and friends!

For heavens that declare God’s glory age to age to age...

For children in the sweet, fleet sacredness of innocence...

For front porch lights 

and blazing hearths 

and fresh-steeped cups of tea...

For heavens that declare God’s glory age to age to age

Masterpiece after masterpiece ignites awe’s flawless wage

For nature’s law unruffled by the changes progress brings

Beauty’s bounteous coffers charged with Eden’s glimmerings

For children in the sweet, fleet sacredness of innocence

Before the tug twixt right and wrong begins its arguments

For home’s most cherished havens and the love of family

For front porch lights and blazing hearths and fresh-steeped cups of tea

For worth earth cannot grant, but He whose breath of life we breathe

For mirth to plant its laughter where our spirits often grieve

For hope to help us cope with ‘nope’ when we had prayed for ‘yes’

For ups and downs that humble and meeken our happiness

For all the ways we could have erred, but by God’s grace, did not

For mercy’s goodness undeterred though He is oft forgot

For God’s unfailing promises for better or for worse

For dawn, unveiling Today like a gift from heaven’s purse

For faces not yet kissed and wonder not yet tasted, oh

For sadness of farewells hinged to the gladness of hello

For doors waiting to fling ajar on shores beyond our reach

For knowing that right where we are has lessons left to teach

For friendships and for favors, free of charge and fit for kings

Like the trill of a songbird or the thrill new baby brings

For night’s rest from our labours and for neighbors, sweet and kind

For duty’s wealth to guard against snares of an idle mind

For farm fresh eggs and other fine culinary delights

For simple fare to satisfy heartiest appetites

For fresh-ground, fresh-brewed coffee, for the cup of life that brims

With still untasted melodies of still unfolding hymns

For seasons that we sail through, like the twinkle or a chime

Stunning new generations with the olden ways of time

For challenges that teach us to trust more and worry less

For flowerpots on windowsills and tot-anointed mess

For dreams that keep us on our toes/knees and drive impatience wild

For moms and dads committed to the welfare of the child

For unexpected moments that bestow a breathless ache

With bliss we miss when hurry’s flurry sets the pace we take

For faith to face the new year with our faces all aglow

Like children as they dash to play in fresh untrodden snow

For jar shelves laden with collections gleaned from garden fare

For cozy nooks and books when the weather growls like a bear

For flowers, and for bowers bright with fall foliage, for spring

After winter relinquishes its grip on earth’s awning

For treasuring the timelessness of life’s most simple joys

Shared with the cheerful company of little girls and boys

For poetry still wafting in whispers still unsubdued

For more than we can tally when it comes to gratitude

For love's lingering essence like a fragrant curlicue

After the flame is snuffed that flickered with life's me-and-you  

And, (last but never least), for salvation’s security

To make our joy complete despite what was, is and will be

© Janet Martin

For treasuring the timelessness of life’s most simple joys

Shared with the cheerful company of little girls and boys...

For love's lingering essence like a fragrant curlicue

After the flame is snuffed that flickered with life's me-and-you  

Forever Young

 

This cage of wants and hopes and dreams will age, as wear and tear

Will take its toll where aches and pains will make us more aware

Of what has always been this way; time’s play of groan and grin

Will scrawl its telling empathy on/in envelopes of skin

The best and worst of blessed and cursed will keep no form intact

Time’s sleight of hand adept at disclosing matters of fact

Yet cannot touch the much more meaningful and precious part

Where love and thankfulness can keep us ever young at heart

© Janet Martin

Psalm 100:5

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Sweet Comfort and Joy

Psalm 139:5

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

In our small group bible/sermon studies through our church, last night

we were contemplating the verse below and how we can be mightily transformed in our

thinking and actions if we truly take God at His word!

Heb.13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, 

because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

In today's Daily Bread Devotion  we are reminded

 that no one knows what will happen!

Life is always full of uncertainties.

God and his Word the one constant certainty!

Hallelujah!

God, Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

What sweet comfort and joy

Before, behind, beside

A safeguard nothing can destroy

Shields us from evil’s tide

Where, though storms ebb and flow

And oft we weep and groan

What sweet comfort and joy to know

We are never alone

Dear one, do not despair

No matter what betide

God keeps us in His faithful care

Before, behind, beside

No foe can penetrate

The bulwark of His Word

No guard on earth can compensate

For God’s arm undeterred

What He says He will do

His vow is bona fide

He accompanies me and you

Before, behind, beside

Nothing seen can compare

To the peace faith receives

As humble trust turns into prayer

And utterly believes

How near The Unseen draws

As sweet comfort and joy

Transcends The Seen with hope because

Of what none can destroy

© Janet Martin

Isa. 40:28

Do you not know?

 Have you not heard? 

The LORD is the everlasting God, 

the Creator of the ends of the earth. 

He will not grow tired or weary,

 and his understanding no one can fathom.

November Dusk Ditty

Tomorrow’s troubles can wait

(I’ve learned they always do)

Let’s linger at time’s phantom gate

While dusk deepens its blue

And snuffs away the view

Until all we can see

Is someone in the window staring

Back at you and me

Leave morrow’s sorrows be

Today has quite enough

To wrangle into poetry

Of hope and hurt and love

Of blush and bronze and mauve

Like colors on a tray

That fell beneath the velvet veil that

Brushed the world away

© Janet Martin

My 'I Shall Not Want' Want-list

I want to see the beauty in each day that He has made...

Our world is completely winterized where only two weeks ago 

I took a long walk admiring the remnant foliage of fall...

And just like that, with the snow

thoughts of Christmas start to take center stage

where want and wish lists also begin to take shape...

While gifts are nice and delightful expressions of love,

as we grow older, we realize more and more

 that what satisfies our Want cannot be unwrapped from

pretty paper and ribbons.

The Lord is my Shepherd.

I shall not want...

Ps. 23:1

Without refreshment and renewal found in God's Word alone.

our want lists are apt to run a bit askew,

and discouragement would drain

our 'joy complete'

John 15:9-11

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. 

Now remain in my love. 

10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love,

 just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 

11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you 

and that your joy may be complete.

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

I want my thoughts established in the soundness of God’s Word

I want by joy completed when I see Him face to face

I want my footsteps ordered by His law to undergird

I want my gladness anchored in the goodness of His grace

I want my focus fixed upon The Prize we cannot see

I want my thirst and hunger satisfied by righteousness

I want my hope held steadfast in the promises of He

Whose love and justice will not fail to comfort, keep and bless

I want my store of treasure to be more than merchant wage

I want to want more dearly what this world can never give

I want to hold fast to the teachings passed from age to age

I want a heart that grows more thankful with each day I live

I want to treat my fellowman with kind humility

I want with heart and soul and mind to love the Lord, my God

I want my light to shine so others may see Him in me

And with the gospel of His peace, I want my feet thus shod

I want to never envy ungodly prosperity 

I want to not be fooled by the appearance of the shell

I want, with awe and wonder to look upon Calvary

To remember the empty tomb: Christ conquered death and hell

I want to see God's beauty in each day that He has made

I want to work toward a goal beyond this world's success

I want to be discerning where wolves in sheep's clothes invade

I want to leave behind a legacy of faithfulness 

I want to keep my tongue from meting cruel blow for blow

I want to find the Life no thief can steal, kill or destroy

And when I die, I want to hear the sweetest words I know

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter Thy Lord’s joy”

© Janet Martin

Winter Happiness

 

In case we still had doubts as to whether winter was really here,

last night and this morning cleared up any lingering confusion😅💓!

The crunch of leaves beneath our feet are blanketed with snow

As all along the silent street our muffled footsteps go

Where, fast asleep beneath a starred duvet of eiderdown

Earth looks like a vintage postcard of countryside and town

…where good old days and good old ways suddenly reappear

In tea kettles and hearths ablaze with home-sweet, home-spun cheer

…while every rooftop, post and plume are swaddled in a muff

That tumbles from a lofty loom threaded with frosty fluff

While every nose turns rosy-red while the whole world turns white

And earth becomes a featherbed much to each child’s delight

…where they, as happy as can be with eyes and cheeks aglow

Stir us to recall tenderly, childhoods of long ago

As shouts of joy and starry gaze for winter’s first snow fall

Suddenly make these ‘modern days’ not seem modern at all

Rekindling good, old-fashioned mirth as we walk hand in hand

Through snowflakes transforming the earth to winter’s wonderland

Where the first flurry of the year regardless of its chill

Wakens in us the warmth and cheer of old fashioned good will

...and good, old-fashioned thankfulness for good, old-fashioned joys

Of good old-fashioned happiness of winter's girls and boys  

© Janet Martin