Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Oh My God, Since Thou Art With Me

When I am tempted to despair
God bids me lean on Him in prayer
There He tramples the enemy
As He whispers His peace to Me


The world may sometimes seem like a different place
 than in 'the good, old days'
 but it isn't really. Evil has always been evil 
and God has always been faithful and good!

1 John 4:4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them:
 because greater is he that is in you,
 than he that is in the world.



Ps.18:2
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; 
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.




Oh my God, since Thou art with me
Thou who givest life its breath
Thou who walked the way to Calv’ry
Thou who bore love’s cross, to/through death
Thou, whom death could never conquer
Thou, whose Name grants hope its goal
Thou, the Victor of grave’s plunder
Thou, the Saviour of the soul
Thou, who satisfies Want’s hunger
Through Thy everlasting word
Thou, who fits us with faith’s armour
Thou, whose will is undeterred
Thou, who orchestrates each season
Thou who numbers all our days
Thou, whose ways transcend our reason
Thou, whose love never betrays
Thou, who never will forsake us
Thou, whose promises secure
Thou, whose favor longs to make us
More like Thee; holy and pure
Oh, my God since Thou art with me
To commune and commandeer
Thou, whose Light transcends death’s valley
What have I to dread or fear?

Oh, my God, since Thou art with me
Thou who suffered for my sin
Thou whose blood out-poured, redeems me
Thou, whose Spirit dwells within
Thou, my Comforter in sorrow
Thou, my fortress, come what may
Thou who bidst me not to borrow
Morrow’s troubles for today
Thou who cheers me in the struggle
Thou, who guards me from despair
Thou, who is my help in trouble
Thou, who hears my earnest prayer
Thou, whose purpose will not falter
Thou whose power will prevail
Thou, who beholds worship’s altar
Thou, whose Ransom will not fail
Thou, who receives my confession
Thou, Forgiver of sin’s shame
Thou, who keeps no record of them
To crush joy with guilt or blame
Thou whose Goodness overwhelms me
Thou whose mercy overrides
Oh my God, since Thou art with me
What have I to need besides?

Oh my God, since Thou art with me
Thou who holds Time in Thy hands
Thou, Cradle of eternity
Thou whose Supreme Say commands 
Thou, whose Provision is perfect
Thou, whose judgments never err
Thou, who is changeless in edict
Whose love is beyond compare 
Thou, who stepped from Heaven's glory
To be sin's Atonement Lamb
Author of Salvation's Story
I AM who I say I AM
King of Kings and Lord of Lords, yet
Thou, Redemption's Once-For-All
Thou, who broke the curse sin beget/begot  
Thou, who saves us from The Fall
Thou, who did not spare His body
But with selfless sympathy
Put on flesh, became nobody
Suffered in all ways, as we
Thou, who rent the veil to ritual 
Thou who saves us by His grace
Oh my God, since Thou art faithful
Who could ever take Thy place? 

© Janet Martin



John 17:3
And this is life eternal, 
that they might know thee the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Psalm 100:5
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;
 and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 93:2
Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.

Monday, March 11, 2024

How To Replenish Love's Delight...



“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord”
 (Romans 12:11).

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart,
 for God has already approved what you do.

Above, a few verses from a few Daily Bread devotionals I missed on the weekend
because we were away for a bit!

Great verses to contemplate as we begin a new week!


May your week be as sweet as a Krispy Kreme donut!
(One of our stops)



It's easy to be filled with delight while savoring donuts,
but life/love isn't always as soft and sweet as a fresh donut, is it?!
If it was we would become fat and foolish,
sluggish and selfish!

James 1:2-4 BSB
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, 
when you encounter trials of many kinds, 
3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
 4Allow perseverance to finish its work, 
so that you may be mature and complete, 
not lacking anything.

To overcome despair
Is to replenish love's delight
Through faithful, thankful prayer

Is to fix our eyes
On He whose hope elates
Whose grace made possible the prize
That faith anticipates 

Is to count our joys
Rather than our woes
Is to seize what each morn deploys
And dusk draws to a close

Is to choose what is right
And forgive fellowman
And in each flight from morn to night
To do the best we can

Because God gave His best
Because He loves us so
To dwell on this renews the zest/quest
No care can overthrow

Because when we believe
We walk by faith, not sight
And as we trust we will receive
Love's replenished delight

Janet Martin

Jer.17:7
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
 whose confidence is in him.

Psalm 40:4
Blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, 
who has not turned to the proud, 
nor to those who lapse into falsehood.



Friday, January 26, 2024

Perseverance Perspective...


First perseverance, 
then the prize!
Sometimes we forget 
and want the Prize now!




James 1:2-8
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a
whenever you face trials of many kinds, 
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature 
and complete, not lacking anything.
 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,
 who gives generously to all without finding fault, 
and it will be given to you.
 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, 
because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
 blown and tossed by the wind.
 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

The testing of our faith produces perseverance!
I used to subconsciously equate the word 'testing' with physical trials
such as sickness, death, natural disasters etc.
but in the phrase 'trials of many kinds' one I had not considered
until perhaps the past few years,
and one that has many once confessed believers denying their faith,
is the fact that because our minds cannot explain or reconcile
God's thoughts and ways and commands
 (whether in the Old Testament or
 in this age of love and holiness misunderstood)
disillusionment/confusion/anger forsakes faith
rather than letting the test produce perseverance.

Heb.6:11
And without faith it is impossible to please God, 
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists
 and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

God doesn't meet us on our terms.
We meet Him on His, laid out ever-so-changelessly
and perfectly in His Word,
Let's pray for a more humble faith, 

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus 
and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, 
remembering you in my prayers.
 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation,
 so that you may know him better. 
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened 
in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, 
*the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 
That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted
 when he raised Christ from the dead 
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

That sin seems still to test the faith of many!
Lord, help us hate the sinfulness of sin (in so many subtle forms).
Lord, help us to look on You,  soberly and thankfully remembering
 what You suffered on our behalf to save us from sin's penalty!
Forgive us if we should forget!



Forgive us, Lord, when we forget
And wise in our own eyes debate
Thy love and righteousness and fret
At the prerequisites of faith;
'the substance of hope, unashamed
the evidence of Things Unseen'
Believing all You have proclaimed
And trusting You to intervene

Where often love misunderstood
Could kindle a fault-finding rue 
Remind us You work for the good
Of all who put their trust in You
The Promise, yet with humble hearts
Being assured, they still believed

Forgive us Lord, when we neglect
To see the sinfulness of sin
And thus, unconsciously reject
Thy loving, still, small Voice within
Forgive us when we minimize
The bloodstained cross of Calvary
And far to often fail to prize
The price You paid to set us free 

Forgive us when we, with proud thought
Contest Your higher thoughts and ways
And dare to grumble at our lot
Rather than lifting hymns of praise
And should faith tremble in the gale
Of tests and troubles that must be
Remind us, this is but the veil
Faith's Last Gasp rends, then we will see
(*the riches of the glorious inheritance)

© Janet Martin





Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Christmas That Never Ends

Day-after-Christmas contemplation...

The hustle and bustle of Christmas busyness,
the rustle of wrapping paper,
the frenzy of last minute food and gift prep,
the shrieks of excitement and delight
will soon fade like fond footfalls of farewell,
we collect in heart-vaults.


...but the Spirit of Christmas,
because of God's everlasting goodness through the gift
of his Son, Jesus, is hopefully a daily joy, all year through!

Christmas Season, with all its fuss and bustle will soon fade
And disappear into the hush of Bygone’s promenade
But, Belief in the Reason for the season, anchors peace
His everlasting goodness gladdens hope with joy’s increase

Belief transforms the lens we look through to find happiness
It mends the holes in our souls with precious promises
And grounds faith in the merit of love, unfathomable
Where Father, Son and Spirit manifests Immanuel

Where redemption endorses profound possibility
The blood of Christ that cleanses and atones, sets sinners free
From the inherent curse; the first-fruit that first sin conceived
But God so rich in mercy washed away when we believed

This keeps the joy of Christmas alive in us all year long
His everlasting goodness kindles everlasting song
Because belief in the Reason for the Season transcends
The temporal; Jesus gives us Christmas that never ends

© Janet Martin

the morning after
a lot of laughter, food and joys aka noise😅💖!!!



John 10;10
I have come that they may have life, 
and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus~








Saturday, December 23, 2023

Keep On!


Yesterday I attended the funeral of Wayne.
Friends and family received words of comfort and encouragement
as we reflected on a man, not perfect, but committed humbly
to honor God, though his lot in life was not what anyone would choose,
he desired above all to;



The service opened with the reminder that Wayne has done what still awaits all of us! 
He has met his Maker, but His Maker was/is also his Savior. 
We were challenged that the same may be true of us;
that when we meet God we will meet Him not only as our Maker 
but, as our Savior too!

The second speaker reminded family and friends 
that our God is a God of promises; 
Sweet words of comfort esp. for Wayne's wife, children, Dad, siblings, etc.

...so, reflecting on a funeral at Christmas is not morbid
but in reality, is what the joy of Christmas is; Jesus, the hope of mankind
come to earth to be our Saviour
not for this brief life only, but to all who believe,
 forever and ever! Amen!
This reality makes our Christmas reflections more precious than ever!!
And rekindles faith's fervor to keep on till we too can say,

'I have fought the good fight, 
I have finished the race,
 I have kept the faith. 
8Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day,
 and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
2 Tim.4:7-8


Keep on, we, not yet victorious
Upon Jesus fix faith’s eyes
For the joy still set before us
Keep on pressing to the prize

Keep on praying to keep seeking
God’s kingdom and righteousness
Keep on trusting, wholly leaning
Of His steadfast promises

Keep on looking to the Saviour
To imbue our walk and talk
To correct rebel behaviour
Lest we leave a stumbling block

Keep on casting cares on Jesus
Praise Him with each thought and breath
Until His last mercy frees us
From these bodies doomed to death

Keep on hoping, keep on loving
Every sin, humbly confess
Until the day of faith’s proving
Wins a crown of righteousness

Keep on with fixed dedication
To fight dark forces of sin
Until faith’s last invitation
Hears these blessed words ‘enter in’

© Janet Martin



Monday, December 18, 2023

Faith's Perfect Provision


In a week from today, (Christmas!)
Christians will be celebrating the birth of the Object of our faith;
our Lord Jesus Christ!

Luke 2:10-11
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: 
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
 which shall be to all people.
 For unto you is born this day in the city of David
 a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Romans 5:1
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, 
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hallelujah!!!

Yesterday morning a plea in the opening prayer at our church service
caught at my heart...'that You would find us faithful, Lord'!!
What is the use of anything else, if He does not find us faithful?!!

Matt.24:13
But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Does this not bid us plead for Sunday morning's fire
to kindle Monday morning's desire?!!

Doesn't it bring fresh zeal/appeal to this old, cherished Christmas hymn??




So this morning, no matter what composes our fears, regrets and sorrows
we may rejoice and be glad in this day He has made...
for He who promised is faithful!!

Heb.10:19-23
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence 
to enter the Most Holy Placed by the blood of Jesus, 
20by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,e
21and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
  22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,
 having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience 
and our bodies washed with pure water.
23Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, 
for He who promised is faithful.

***

Enough to know, though sorrow scores the garment of the soul
And the enemy of faith roars, still, God is in control
The witness of each thought and intent of the heart, is kind
His everlasting love is not a figment of the mind

But is, in every circumstance, a Present Help indeed
To all who trust in Him, He grants exactly what we need
Then, where care’s billows ebb and flow, joy and peace still console
Because, it is enough to know that God is in control

Thus, all contenders for the faith have no cause for despair
God’s full armour will keep us safe to persevere through prayer
For He is in control no matter how the Whole may bend
The Shepherd of the Soul helps us be faithful to the end

© Janet Martin

 

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Till Life on Earth Is Through


Each new day overflows
With undefeated worth...


The gladness only God bestows
Undergoes grand rebirth



This time of year our hearts and minds start to turn Christmas-ward!
For the believer in Jesus, it is a glad celebration
 of the Living Hope, joy and peace we cherish every day!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
 as you trust in him, 
so that you may overflow with hope 
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13




We walk by faith, not sight
The joy that we proclaim
By God’s grace, is the chief delight
Of all who love His name

We do not hope in vain
Our God, faithful and true
Abides with us midst fear and pain
Of this world’s fleeting rue

Each new day overflows
With undefeated worth
The gladness only God bestows
Undergoes grand rebirth

As we fix our gaze
While weathering the wearing ways
Of time that lies between

By faith, reply reveres
The call that we receive
As we treasure God's Word that cheers
All who trust and believe

…while keeping watch, we pray
That faith will remain true
Until the great and glorious day
When life on earth is through

© Janet Martin


Matthew 24:42
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come.







Friday, October 27, 2023

Bat Not Thine Eye Lash at Thy Guilt...or, Earnest Plea


Reading through the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah kindles
much sober reflection and speechless awe
for the sure judgment and the abounding love and mercy of God



Brush not at sin, like lint on sleeves
To save everyone who believes

Rush not, bold-faced, into the day
Without reckoning He who grants
The morn its light; bow down and pray

Mock not, nor take in vain the Name
Above all names; but chastely fear
The One, whereby prophets proclaim

Let not imagination rule
In rebel disobedience
Approach today with reverence

Lest, poorly and blindly content
With pomp and show of Noble Thought
Thy deathless soul reaps hell’s lament/torment

Thy futile prayers when troubles groan
Fall on thy knees, repent, revere
The God of gods and God alone

For love, devoted to obey
He whose decrees are undeterred

Bat not thy eye at the grave rift
Each soul must ford ‘neath death’s cold knife

© Janet Martin




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.

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Sweet Recompense



Eph.2:14
For He Himself is our peace...

(Today's poem was inspired by the first line 
in today's Daily Bread Devotion scripture reading)

...and then, the outer fringes of His glory
filled the heavens where 'evidence of things unseen'
grants glimpses of Him!




Against the Cornerstone that keeps faith anchored in the gale

No longer owned by sin’s uncouth, lawless captivity


The delight of the Lord, no mortal can impart
From the wealth of His Word, He gives desires of the heart

His promises endure, nothing can take the place

Peace; what sweet recompense when faith has made us whole 
Hell's gates cannot prevail against the Savior of the soul

© Janet Martin

Why, oh, why is it so easy to slip into the snare
of wanting what we see rather than what we know
(if the truth has set us free)
Oh!! Pray it has!
And if it has
oh, pray for all who still do not know the truth!

John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”







Song by Matthew Smith

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! what a Strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him.
Tempted, tried, and often failing,
He, my Strength, my victory wins.
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! what a Help in sorrow!
While the billows over me roll,
Even when my heart is breaking,
He, my Comfort, helps my soul.
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! I do now receive Him,
More than all in Him I find.
He has granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine.
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Friday, May 26, 2023

A Mercy-kindled Beckoning


As we approach the throne of  grace may we be reminded to
not grow weary in our prayers for what seems impossible 
(so much sin, sickness and sorrow!) because
... "with God nothing will be impossible.” Luke 1:37

The God that created the world,
The God that parted the Red Sea,
that snowed manna in the wilderness,
that tumbled the walls of Jericho
That closed the mouths of lions,
That walked in the fiery furnace
that walked on the water,
that provided a Spotless Lamb once for all sinners
oh, and as written here in
 John 21:25
Jesus did many other things as well. 
If every one of them were written down, 
I suppose that even the whole world 
would not have room for the books
 that would be written.!

Yes! This God is with us!
He fuels our sometimes-wavering
 faith with unwavering faithfulness!
The great Designer and Creator of heaven and earth is with us!


It trembles in each breath, each smile
It fuels poems, still unpenned
It lures us like a country mile
To see what lies beyond the bend

It helps us greet the day at hand
And God’s replenished grace, with zeal
To return to duty’s demand
And what today waits to reveal

Though veiled, it draws us to pursue
Proposals with hope’s precious urge
Like arms outstretched in welcome to
All who approach its holy verge

That always authors reckoning
From what no one can fully see
Of mercy-kindled beckoning
God-granted Possibility

© Janet Martin

Possibility is a bud,
burgeoning with bloom!










Saturday, May 20, 2023

If I Should Turn From Thee

1 Tim.4:1 NLT
Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly
 that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith;
 they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.

Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said,
“This is a [a]hard saying; who can understand it?”...

...From that time many of His disciples went [d]back
 and walked with Him no more. 
67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, 
“Do you also want to go away?”
68 But Simon Peter answered Him,
 “Lord, to whom shall we go?
 You have the words of eternal life.
 69 Also we have come to believe and know 
that You are the [e]Christ, the Son of the living God.”

How often it hurts pastors, teachers and parents
as wise and true counsel is ignored, scorned 
and heedlessly turned away from!
How much more, our Heavenly Father!!
May we echo the words of Peter if we are tempted
to put our trust in what we see rather than what/Who we know!
 “Lord, to whom shall we go?





To Whom Lord, shall I go
If I should turn from Thee
Whose spirit and life can bestow
The truth that sets me free

Whose blood but Thine atones
From age to age to age
Whose ear but Thine attends the groans
That wrack this mortal cage

In who else can I trust
Without fear or dismay
Whose Word transcends time’s dust-to-dust
And cheers me day by day

Whose purpose will prevail
To crush the enemy
Whose love and justice will not fail
Throughout eternity

Whose law is love but Thine
Who whispers peace to me
Who else laid down his life for mine
With such humility

What can this world afford
But pleasures vain and fleet
What compares to Thy joy, my Lord
Abiding and complete

Then, should I turn from Thee
Lord, where else can I find
A sweeter, surer sympathy
Compassionate and kind

…to heal my broken heart
Whose assurance can ward
Defense against deception’s dart
Without Thy armour, Lord

Who can quench Want’s wild thirst
Or offer Living Bread
Who can save us from this world, cursed
With ignorance and dread

If I should turn from Thee
What can I hope to find
To satisfy the longing plea
Of heart and soul and mind

If I should turn from Thee
Lord, to whom shall I go
To entrust all eternity
Pray, I may never know

© Janet Martin