Showing posts with label repentance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label repentance. Show all posts

Friday, December 8, 2023

Forbid Folly To Interject

Daniel 9:4-5&8-9

4And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said,
 “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy 
with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, 
5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, 
we have done wickedly and rebelled, 
even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. ...

8 “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, 
and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, 
though we have rebelled against Him...

2 Cor.7:10
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation,
not to be regretted;
but the sorrow of the world produces death.

***
Why, oh why does human nature so easily forget
to trust our trustworthy Heavenly Father?!
Why are we so prone to want so much less
than He is waiting to lavish us with?!
Why are we so easily blinded by circumstance
rather than enlightened by His promises?!
Oh Lord, grant us godly sorrow that leads to repentance!
again and again!

***
I am reading through the book of Daniel and am always moved by the account
of Daniel after the decree that none should pray to anyone but
King Darius and anyone who does will be put to death...
Dan.6:10
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home.
 And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, 
he knelt down on his knees three times that day, 
and prayed and gave thanks before his God,
 as was his custom since early days...

Oh, that we may dare to be a Daniel too;
to be un-swayed in our devotion to God
no matter what or who attempts some sad
folly to interject and redirect our worship !

Today's post is also influenced by yesterday's devotion
from My Utmost for His Highest...

Forbid folly to interject and redirect my gaze from He
Whose goodness grants deliverance from hell’s hopeless eternity

Whose grace (a gift) bridges the rift that gaped with sin’s unholy strife
Whose mercy gave His Son to brave the death that wrought eternal life

Whose blood redeems and washes clean each one who repents and believes
Whose joy complete, so rich and sweet, only godly sorrow achieves

Whose righteousness, when we confess turns scarlet sins to snowy white
Whose love anoints all He appoints with His divine power and might

Whose law is peace, though wars increase, whose Light no darkest dark can dim
Forbid folly to interject and redirect my gaze from Him

But, let me seek with motive meek, a heart like Daniel, bold and true
Then, humbly bring, my God and King, faithful and thankful praise to You

© Janet Martin




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.

Monday, July 10, 2023

I Am a Master of Excuse

This excerpt from the message below moved me to tears...
Oh! that this would be my true ambition.

Christian contentment
is the direct fruit
of having no higher ambition
than to belong to the Lord
and to be entirely
at His disposal.

Alistair Begg


  


I am a master of excuse and pious coquetry
I fit finely inside replies of I and my and me
I am far, far too readily induced to compensate
For second miles I’d rather not suffer; the cost too great
I rise to meet the day and pray, then forget easily
That I can do all I can do through Christ who strengthens me

For when I repent and believe I am ‘mine own’ no more
But ought to be devoted to the Saviour I adore
And ought to be, with every gifted breath and day, content
Because by grace I have been saved; the temple veil is rent
And I, invited to boldly approach the throne of grace
Will receive grace and mercy to supply each need I face

I am a wretch; yet Christ loves with an everlasting love
By His divine power He fits me for Heaven above
Therefore I have no boast but this; the blood of Jesus Christ
Who broke the curse of sin and death through Himself, sacrificed
For I, a master of excuse, who forgets easily
That I can do all I can do through Christ who strengthens me

© Janet Martin

Gal.2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, 
but Christ lives in me. 
The life I now live in the body, 
I live by faith in the Son of God, 
who loved me and gave himself for me.

Phil.4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Rom.7:24-25
O wretched man that I am! 
Who will deliver me from this body of death? 
 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!








Thursday, May 25, 2023

Should I, Because of Stubborn Pride (protect a favoured sin)

 Here's My Heart, Lord



Should I, because of stubborn pride, protect a favoured sin,
Unwilling to admit Idolatry. Oh God, I pray
That You would rend rebellion’s veil in this temple of skin
As repentance rouses renewed devotion to obey

Oh Lord, Enlighten the eyes of my heart, transfixed by these;
The knowledge of hope’s calling and the glory of your grace
Protect me from the tempter that taunts me to ‘take mine ease’
Trading redemption’s riches for the enemy’s embrace

Smite me with grief if I defy your goodness with my greed
If I should set a stumbling block before my fellowman
Remind me of Your lifeblood poured out to supply Soul's need 
And open the eyes of my heart to Your wonder again

Oh, do not let me covet what can never satisfy
Do not let me mouth half-confession’s vain and pious prayer
Lord, let the truth of you undo the lacquer of the lie
That glosses over pitfalls that are waiting to ensnare

Should I, because of stubborn pride, protect a favoured sin,
Lord, open up my eyes to weigh sin’s wages with Your gift
Then would You rend rebellion’s veil in this temple of skin
And help me give more earnest heed to Your Word, lest I drift…

© Janet Martin

Inspired in part by Eph.1 NKJV

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Redemption in Christ

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved.

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and [b]prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, [c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[d] is the [e]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your [f]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality[g] and [h]power and [i]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.


Monday, April 3, 2023

A Meek Appeal


“I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh
and give you a heart of flesh. 
And I will put my Spirit within you . . . 
and you shall be my people, 
and I will be your God”







Forgive my apathy
My soul, not wholly awed
Forgetful, where a blood-drenched tree
Extolled the Lamb of God

Forgive my wayward eye
From Cal’vry’s silhouette
Where grief does not compose a cry
Of true repentance yet

Forgive my easy loss
Of sorrow for my sin
Forbid, I gaze upon the cross
Yet bar the Door within

Forgive my errant whim
Desires, prone to pride
Unshaken, as I gaze on Him
With Self, not yet denied

Forgive my lack of zeal
For Your sufficient grace
Draw me back to the cross to feel
Your blood drops on my face

Forbid that I should bow
O Christ, beneath thy Blood
Only to return to sin’s slough
Like a pig to the mud

Remove my heart of stone
Break through my ache of skin
With renewed awe for You alone
Who takes away my sin

Forgive me when I seek
The willing ways of men 
Lord, enter in where flesh is weak
And make me strong again 

© Janet Martin






Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Brutal Truth

 

Lest we become complacent...
This poem was inspired again in part
 by an excerpt from the story of George Mueller...






Proverbs 28:13-17 KJV
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:
 But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Oh, the gravity of its depravity
The enormity of its deformity
The awfulness of its unlawfulness
As it dominates within
The subtleness of its brutal-ness
The evilness of vain promises
Of lies disguised, idolized and prized
This is the truth about sin

The pelf of stubborn selfishness
The stealth of Satan’s deadly steps
The guile of a vile, downward spiral
A wolf dressed in sheep skin
Danger and dire consequence
The liar daring providence
Unholy, rebellious ignorance
Mocker, smooth talker; sin

Hunger and thirst hopelessly cursed
Excuses soothed, me-first immersed
Self-righteous drivel at its worst
Pride’s beguiled, unbridled din
Deception’s uncontested will
Desire never quite fulfilled
Defilement, sensuous and skilled
Beware, oh, beware of sin

Unrepentance unrecognized
Hell’s curb appeal hailed, unapprised
Blind leading blind, applause-imbibed
Deaf to the toll within
Brutal refutal of wisdom astute
Pitiful, poisonous, ravenous root
Half-obedience-corrupted fruit
Horrible horror of sin

© Janet Martin

Romans 5:12-20

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15But the free gift is not like the [e]offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many [f]offenses resulted in justification. 17For if by the one man’s [g]offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

18Therefore, as through [h]one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one[i] Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

20Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Where Still The Call To All Remains...

 Inspired in part by Luke 3

Unto Us-Living Stones Quartet




In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matt.3:1

And all people will see God’s salvation.
Luke 3:6

Truth’s Voice cries in the wilderness ‘prepare’ for He who will return
The advent of His holiness trembles in hearts that wait and yearn
Where still the call to all remains, ‘repent, ‘be baptized’, ‘come, adore’
Before the Lord winnows the grains from chaff on Judgment’s threshing floor

Faith bows before Him in reply, whose feet we are not fit to kiss
Whose appearing will fill the sky; no foretold oracle amiss
Whose example still fills the Word, whose Truth will never shift or sway
Whose Spirit abides, undeterred to all who trust Him and obey

The advent of the Lord’s return burns in hearts fixed beyond time’s strife
While Mercy pleads where unfaith spurns the Only Way, the Truth, The Life
As believers become the voice that cries in holy urgency
Because belief becomes the choice that becomes soul’s eternity

Hark! Where the angels praised his birth, they will fill up the sky again
As the Lord of Heaven and earth returns forevermore to reign
Where the God of Deliverance tarries because so many doubt
And do not grasp the recompense of what God's gift is all about

Truth’s Voice cries in the wilderness ‘prepare’ for He who will return
The advent of His holiness trembles in hearts that wait and yearn
Where still the call to all remains, ‘repent, ‘be baptized’, ‘come, adore’
Before the Lord winnows the grains from chaff on Judgment’s threshing floor

© Janet Martin



Someone posted the suggestion on Facebook to read a chapter of Luke every day till Christmas Eve to read the whole book of Luke and his account of the whole life of Jesus!
So, before I go to bed I will try to read a chapter of Luke until Christmas.
I might not have a poem for every chapter but wow!
so much wonder in the Word to kindle inspiration, rejoicing and Hope!

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Inside Out

 

There is no question as to why our North American nations are in trouble.
Pray, God's people, pray!

2 Chron. 7:14
if my people, who are called by my name, 
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face 
and turn from their wicked ways, 
then I will hear from heaven, 
and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

1 Cor.11:27-31

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner 
will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 
 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 
 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ
 eat and drink judgment on themselves. 
 That is why many among you are weak and sick, 
and a number of you have fallen asleep.

Repentance is the only resolution...
to acknowledge sin and confess

I'm looking forward to spring when buds begins to break and bear/bare their bloom!
All fruit and flower comes from the inside out!





What happens on the inside, you can bet without a doubt 
Will soon show on the outside; of what we are all about 
To deal with sickness-symptoms, without getting at the root 
Is like putting a big band aid on an infected foot 
To try to fix the problems that plague us we need to start 
Where good or bad begins within the human-natured heart 

How often we point at the proof of need with loud lament 
But to address the issue is like chipping at cement 
Unless we recognize the place where all true change begins 
And first repent and believe in He who forgives our sins 
A band aid hides the ugly truth but cannot cleanse the bod 
A nation cannot heal until man’s heart is right with God 

Futile to try to fix a foible from the outside in 
For in the heart is where the troubles of this world begin 
For sin, like an aggressive weed soon overtakes the whole 
Lust, conceit, pride, fear, hatred, greed, the seed of sinful soul 
And when its buds bear fruit, no words are needed to explain 
Thus, without starting at the root, best efforts are in vain 

Repentance is the only resolution; to confess 
Then God will forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness 
And only then, after we bow before the Lord of all 
Are we prepared to be a vessel fitted for His call 
For Who is on the inside, you can know without a doubt 
Will soon show on the outside; of Who we are all about 

© Janet Martin



Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! 
You clean the outside of the cup and dish, 
but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

Matt.23:25-26

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Of Hard Heart-knocks...



Let's overthrow evil today with
the one and only name whereby man can be saved; Jesus!

Acts 4:11-12
This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 
Matthew 1:21
She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus,
because He will save His people from their sins."
 
 
 

It's hard to trust enough to pray for hard knocks to get ours or a loved ones
 'drifting attention/devotion' back on track...

Sometimes it takes a hard heart-knock for God to get our ears to hear
Because sometimes we balk at what we sense He longs to commandeer 
But, as a mother hen who draws her wings around her chicks, He yearns
To draw His children close; lest one be lost among life’s twists and turns

Behold, what love compels the One who stokes the night with one more Day
And leaves the Ninety-nine to search for the sheep that have gone astray
And like the father who beheld his long-lost son come from afar
When we are still a long way off He runs to meet us where we are

Sometimes we are deceived because we doubt when we ought to believe
Pride goes before the fall that arrogance and stubbornness achieve
But God, so rich in mercy does not leave us without hope and grace
He bends with gentle hands outstretched, if we reach up in humble faith

A Deadly Foe roams to and fro, seeking to draw eyes from The Prize
Without pity he sets a snare and decorates his lair with lies
And many fall prey to enticements, lured by Pleasure’s poisoned charm
Only God’s Word a lamp to light the way, can direct us from harm

Blessed are those who thirst and hunger after righteousness and truth
And blessed are the pure in heart; the meek will inherit the earth
Then, though sometimes the hard, heart-knock seems harsh, Love’s ways and means are just
And He will do what must be done to get the erring one to trust

© Janet Martin 


Thursday, April 9, 2020

Looking Forward to a New Normal after COVID-19


 (*the old normal was referring to seeing my family, my grand-children,
my friends and church-family...)
 But that will never feel like the old normal either!
So much sweeter and holier than EVER before!)


Yesterday I texted my sister 'I miss the *old normal!!'
 After listening to this: Night of Prayer
I recant!
"Oh, God Help us never return to pick up where we left off!"
(if you stop listening before the end of the video how MUCH you will miss💕)





May we not dream of picking up where we left off before
A universal wake-up call came, pounding at our door
May we never be bitter at the fear and loss that spawned
A humble reassessment of life and its great Beyond

The harder that the shell has grown the more painful the break
Lord, You can melt a heart of stone, then, cause our hearts to ache
Until we yield without design or some safe-guarded sin
And with repentance genuine, Confess, and thus begin

May we never return to live half-loves of skin and bone
Afraid of who or what might infringe on its ‘comfort-zone’
But may we, heart and soul, be transformed through our minds renewed
Humbled into love, pure and true, with holy gratitude

And as we pick up pieces after this disease is spent
May we revere the Hand from whence each day’s mercies are lent
And may we never strive to return to what was before
But learn, through prayer, as we let go, God gives us so much more

© Janet Martin

If my people, who are called by my name, 
will humble themselves and pray 
and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, 
then I will hear from heaven, 
and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chron.7:14