Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts

Friday, November 24, 2023

Love and Learning's Celebration


Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Today is like an invitation to 
so much joy still left to taste
because joy is unlike most delights we seize 
and devour and then,
 they disappear!



One of my most dearly loved chapters was part of today's bible-in-a-year reading!

Though you have not seen him, you love him; 
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him 
and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,...

1 Pet. 1:21
Through him you believe in God, 
who raised him from the dead and glorified him,
 and so your faith and hope are in God.


In this life of love and learning
Rife with delight and dismay
May the Maker of each morning
Kindle gladness for today

May the Harbinger of Heaven
Fill our days with holy worth
For to know we are forgiven
Is the greatest joy on earth

Today unfolds like a flower
Hour-petals fade and fall
Unlike delights we devour
Joy transcends the tangible

Unlike moments softly drifting
Like snowflakes that melt away
God instills dawn’s daily gifting
With joy hinged to Endless Day

We know there is no returning
To estrangement’s yester-place
Today is for love, and learning
Fresh arrangements of God’s grace

Dawn is like an invitation
To what we ought never waste
Love and learning’s celebration
Of so much joy still to taste

© Janet Martin

1 Pet. 1:3-7
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 
In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope
 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. 
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded
 by God’s power until the coming of the salvation 
that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, 
though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 
7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—
of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—
may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

I love old books by or about pastors that share wisdom and humor
forged from fellowship and challenges of family and flock!
such as the book I am reading right now...


saying no to a 'money-career' offer, after devastating loss of a hurricane



to a disillusioned doctor who was trying to wash/swim
 his troubles away in the ocean every morning...


to a young girl going down a bad way...




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.







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.

Sunday, July 16, 2023

Endless Good aka Everlasting Love

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:
 “I have loved you with an everlasting love; 
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
Jer.31:3

Everlasting; adj. 
infinite, never-ending, eternal, immortal, abiding, perpetual, timeless, unending, enduring

How heartbreaking to  never move beyond the point of seeing God
simply as a kill-joy and rule giver, though we all want and need love
How pitiful/terrible is the belief in the existence of Him
without the joy of the love from and for Him!!


(I've shared this song many times because I love it so much)



From He who does not shift or change His everlasting love
Receive the endless good in which unbelief has no part

…and pray the Lord, for love’s increase, the greatest gift He grants
Is like a glorious masterpiece in every circumstance
To anchor faith and hope, so doubt does not cause us to be

Oh, what a precious family is the family of God
Whose trust is not in what we see but in His faithful word
His promises more dear than anything this world can boast
Like a wellspring of endless good unto the uttermost

For every good and perfect gift comes down from up above
And nothing can deplete the measure of love’s treasure trove
Where, as the love of God becomes alive in you and I
His joy is like a fountain that no sorrow can run dry

…no matter what befalls, love bears us up to bear all things
Christ in us makes love able to suffer all that life brings
Then, though we do not know what waits, Love none can comprehend
Through He who WAS, IS and WILL BE is faithful without end





Saturday, July 15, 2023

No Greater Grief and Joy Have I


I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 1:4


How often in my own parental joys and sorrows
I think of my patient Heavenly Father, where I, his willful child
need his faithful goodness, mercy, rebuke and forgiveness!




No greater grief has a (Christian) parent than watching a precious child choose the hard
road of rebellion ,(where we all once were, but by the grace of God have been saved!)
No greater joy has the same parent when watching a child
 choose the hard road of repentance, of truth, obedience and faithfulness!

All that I bring to Thee
Is but what you bestow
Nothing have I save love’s reply
Each gifted breath will owe

Forbid that I betray
My Lord and King of kings
As Want uncouth disdains God’s truth
To covet carnal things

Lord, purge all boast but One;
The faith that makes me whole
Through Jesus Christ who sacrificed
His life to save my soul

No greater joy have I
Than Truth that sets us free
With holy awe to keep the law
Of love’s humility/of perfect liberty

No greater grief have I
Than to bear witness to
Emboldened hard, cold disregard
My faithful God, to You

Lord, hear my heartful prayer
Where joy and grief travail
To praise and plead and trust each need
To love that will not fail

© Janet Martin

Dear praying parent! Keep on keeping on!


Psalm 5:3&11-12
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly....

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.



Tuesday, July 4, 2023

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
Nothing can sever us from You
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.


Tuesday, March 7, 2023

How Gently, Surely, Holy/Wholly, Purely...Joy



Rom.8:37
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.


Yes! A sunrise decorated daybreak's skies today!



Something akin to joy/spring fever surged through me as I drank it in
which got me to contemplating joy...
then lo, and behold! it was the topic of today's devotion
from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers



How gently joy does not dismay
Its source, like a wellspring
Of blush and gold to counter gray
That life is bound to bring

How surely joy restores the soul
Amidst much creature care
To cheers us on toward the goal
Of joy beyond compare

How holy/wholly, joy clings to God’s word
As sorrow’s billows toss
While hope’s anchor abides, secured
In the pow’r of the cross

How purely joy assuredly brims
To bind grim wounds of grief
And stir a symphony of hymns
From worship’s weathered sheaf

How gently joy anoints the shores
Where often teardrops flow
For we are more than conquerors
Through God who loves us so

© Janet Martin



Friday, December 23, 2022

Here-Hope, Joy and Peace


This morning I received a card and letter from my cousin's family,
(Wayne and Sherri) who have been going through a deep and ongoing 
valley of trial for many years. (Wayne has MS, diagnosed after an accident
leading to the loss of his leg in 2012)
He is a dad of four children.
 He is now 49 years old.
The letter is a profound picture of refined faith and constant surrender
as they adapt to life with their dearly beloved
husband and dad in a long-term care facility,
and the heart-wrenching hurdles of love!!
Sherri closes the letter with words that bravely allow us
 a glimpse into a world of broken dreams
held fast by resolution for continued trust...

Below's excerpt shared with permission from Sherri💝🙏


As I pondered the words we use so freely, especially at Christmas;
words like hope, joy and peace I was impacted by how, without the weathered landscape of 
hardship those words would hold no special meaning.
How life's disappointments, sorrows and storms make sacred and dear
these precious words possible by the grace of God; Hope, joy and peace!

Wayne and Sherri's family has taken up permanent residence in my prayers for 
strength for their days and a sense of Immanuel in their lives!
...as this poem was penned  I couldn't help but cry as she shared 
a peek into their world with these words...
'I tell you these things not to gain attention or pity for myself,
but to give you a glimpse into our everyday life'.
She also shared utter gratefulness for God's faithful provision
through His followers and so many people who help!!

How hopeless our 'everyday life' would often be
without the comfort and counsel of God's word
and the company and friendships of his family here on earth!

***

Here oft joy bears bitter splendor ‘neath the weight of sorrow’s cross
Here oft hope groans with surrender on the testing grounds of loss
Here oft perfect peace is baffled by the brokenness we see
In the valley of the shadow of death’s sacred certainty

Here the devil would defeat us as we press toward The Prize
But for God’s Word; here He meets us to attend to longing’s cries
Here He reaches through the darkness with an Everlasting Light
Softens the heart’s would-be hardness with fresh courage for the fight

Here the fainting soul is strengthened as we feast on Living Bread
Here His outstretched arm is lengthened as His precious child is fed
Here His awesome power surges, chides man’s motives, prone to pride
Promise after promise purges pleas where need and want confide

Here He shows us how to follow when the way we cannot see
How to nestle in the hollow of hands scarred at Calvary
Here He lifts us from the mire of fear, dread, doubt and despair
Here He purifies desires that would hinder our prayer

Here the hope of nations rallies soldiers of the cross of Christ 
Here He guides us through the valleys where idols are sacrificed 
Here, while the world frowns and borrows trouble with unceasing noise
Here His whisper crowns our sorrows with hope's everlasting joys    

Here faith’s flick’ring candle steadies, here spent spirits are renewed
Here life’s gracious Giver readies us with awe-struck gratitude
Where joy, hope and peace must weather what yet waits, Trust humbly hails
God’s goodness; His mercy tethers us to love that never fails

© Janet Martin

...with a mighty hand and outstretched arm; 
His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:12

As we are drawn to the wonder of manger 
may we simultaneously be drawn to the triumph at the cross!






Monday, December 12, 2022

Let All Who Believe Shout for Joy

The third week of advent celebrates joy!
Our temporary joys pale in comparison with the eternal joy of Jesus!
Scripture is filled with proclamations of joy!
hallelujah!
...in this world we will have trouble but take heart!
He has overcome the world!
John 16:33

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.
Remain in My love.
If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love,
just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete.
John 15:9-11




The joy that waits to transport us from faith to sight defends
The joy still set before us with the joy God’s Spirit sends
To be a friend and comforter, to anoint lips with praise
For what the Lord has done to fill us with joy all our days

The joy that is complete begins with love’s obedience
To worship He who forgives sins and voids its consequence
He is the Vine, the branch apart from Him can bear no fruit
Of righteousness because the heart denies Truth's Absolute

The soul that is redeemed proclaims God’s goodness all day long
Then bless the beauty of the name that fills our hope with song
For glad tidings of joy, no worldly riches can afford
Bethlehem’s baby boy became our Saviour, Christ the Lord

Let all who believe shout for joy for what the Lord has done
No power on earth can destroy what Calvary has won
He broke the curse of death and hell; the world He overcame
He authors joy unspeakable and Jesus is His name

Let all who take refuge in Him rejoice, yes! shout for joy
For time and trouble cannot dim the Voice of hope's employ
Then, may the joy and peace of God, anoint and overflow
In all we do and say, awed by God’s gift so long ago

© Janet Martin

1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 
By His great mercy He has given us new birthb into a living hope 
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
  4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, 
reserved in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power
 for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while 
you may have had to suffer grief in various trials 
7so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, 
which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, 
and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
8Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; 
and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him 
and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 
9now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, 
the salvation of your souls.

Psalm 5:11-12
But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;
let them ever shout for joy.
May You shelter them,
that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
12For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous;
You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

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!





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.

Saturday, November 12, 2022

For The Joy Set Before Us...

PAD Challenge Day 12: For today's prompt, write a future poem. 

Heb.12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; 
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 
despising the shame, and is set down 
at the right hand of the throne of God.

Luke 2:10
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: 
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 
which shall be to all people.

A hymn of great joy!






What lies behind we cannot change
What looms ahead we cannot see
Today, the day the Lord has made
Brims with redemption's majesty

Good tidings of great joy still ring
As we press on to life's reward
Anchored in mercy's offering
A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord

The message that the angels bore
Still peals with hope's favor and grace
Concealed in joy still set before
When we behold Him face to face
 
The evidence of things unseen
Is worth the fight that faith employs
As we endure what lies between
Each step we take to Heaven's joys 

Fear not, for unto us this day
Glad tidings of great joy resound
Nothing can take our hope away
As we traverse time's holy ground

A Saviour, who is Christ the Lord
Has borne our sorrow and our grief
He suffered what none could afford
The punishment that brought us peace

For the joy set before Him He
Endured the cross, despised its shame
Seeing beyond the agony
To all who would call on His Name

Made perfect through His suffering
Where we esteemed Him stricken, He
Salvation's captain, crushed the sting
Of death, robbed graves of victory

The message that the angels told
In days of old, none can destroy
The anchor of the cross will hold
Till hope is crowned with Heaven's joy

Janet Martin

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
 but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.











Wednesday, August 24, 2022

This Masterpiece of Joy

 Wearying? Yes!


Wonderful? Oh. Yes.💖


It rhymes with miss and kiss; this, masterpiece of joy
That can wear patience paper thin as we train girl and boy
This grin of have and hold always love’s primed prelude
To letting go, as seasons flow through prayers of gratitude

This visioning ahead soon turned to looking back
Time’s hand unraveling a thread that no hand can retract
This thrumming of bare feet and laughter-tickled soul
As innocence tries childhood’s skies until it finds a hole

This best of busyness; this test of push and pull
Of messy Mostly Happiness and Weary Wonderful
This yearning to preserve, from precious girl and boy
A remnant of the days that wove This Masterpiece of Joy

© Janet Martin