No Third Reward

We must choose whom we will serve
We all will hear two voices
But there will not be a third
Option in our choices
For every man upon this earth
Must decide alone
Who will be the god he serves
Until this life is done

Either we will choose the god
Of hatred, greed and lust
His kingdom one of temporal sod
His greatest boast is dust
And when we close our eyes in death
How cold that death will be
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth
For all eternity

Or we may choose the God of love
The One who gave for us
His greatest gift from up above
Hope through His son, Jesus
Though we may suffer here below
For one whom we call Lord
Tis but a little while we know
Before heaven’s reward

We must choose whom we will serve
For this life’s little span
We all are servants on this earth
Of either God or man
We cannot be servant of two
There is no ‘middle lord’
Heaven or hell when life is through
There is no third reward

Janet~

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you,
Then choose for yourself this day whom you will serve………
……..as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15


No servant can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other
Or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and Money.
The Pharisees, who loved money heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.
He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men,
But God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight. Luke 16:13-15

This is not a harsh and unfair situation God has placed us in.
He knows since Eden we all are born in sin
And thus He had a greater plan
He sent His Son to dwell with man
And be tempted in every way as we are
But He also provided a Way of escape. He is Lord.
He is a Father of tender compassion
He sacrificed his Son for every nation
Upon a cruel and rugged tree
Hope was born at Calvary
and all who call upon His name
Will be saved from the wrath to come!!!!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile.
....the same Lord is Lord of all
and richly blesses all who call on Him,
for "Everyone who call on the name of the Lord will be saved" Romans 10: 11-13 or Joel 2:32

Man..........

Between the tall buildings
The towers, sky-scrapers
Below the rewards of
Man’s greatest endeavors
There, at the base
Of grand architecture
Is the most amazing
And intricate creature
….man

Though buildings may draw
Grand admiration
And we stand in awe
At an artists creation
The inevitable remains
This is simply a street
Lined with structures
Of steel and concrete

But every last one
In all of the masses
Though he lingers admiringly
Or hurriedly passes
Is of equal value
In the Creators eyes
We are His workmanship
Bought with a price
……….blood

Buildings will crumble
There is nothing so grand
As to be immortal
Or above the command
Of One, who created
Not of stone or wood
But blew on the dust
And made flesh and blood
…..man

Concrete and steel
Will crumble and rust
Flesh and blood
Will return to dust
But within every man
And beyond our control
Dwells the immortal
The undying soul

Janet~

Architecture is such a pleasure
To behold………..
The completion
Of a great dream…..
But as I stood gazing in admiration
As crowd upon crowd rushed by
It suddenly struck me…..
Every single person, in every single city……
Or in the remotest corner of the earth
Never escapes the eyes of his Creator.
Architects dream, build, die
None of their work will remain eternally
But every man, woman, child, baby
Who breathes upon this earth
Will meet their Creator!
Hallelujah, He has also given to everyone
Living Hope
For the soul that will never die.

For God so loved the world
That He gave His one and only Son
that whoever believes on Him
should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

His Gift for Us.....

He holds it in waiting for us
A gift; beyond comprehension
Reserved in the hands of Jesus
He does not scream for attention
But patiently watches us scurry
To many a sundry task
Why are we in such a hurry?
When all we need is to ask

He will not just hand it over
How could it be precious then?
This is not some pointless knick-knack
He holds for the sons of men
But held in the hands of Jesus
Is a gift of priceless worth
How He longs to give it to us
This is why He came to earth

Have you touched the hand of Jesus?
Do you know the gift He gives?
Do you try to grasp how He loves us
As you accept this gift of His?
Have you knelt in humble contrition?
And whispered ‘I believe’
As you beheld your hopeless condition
Did you reach out to receive?

He holds in His hand our pardon
For every sin we commit
Yet still so many hearts harden
As they turn their backs on it
The gift of love from a Savior
Paid for in full with His blood
Eternal life for believers
This is the gift from God

Janet~

For by grace are you saved through faith;
And that not of yourselves;
It is the gift of God. Ephes.2:8


At the beginning of the movie The Life of Emile Zola,
he approaches his friend rather anxiously and humbly,
requesting funds to write a controversial book......
His friend goes to the next room for a moment
returning almost immediately with an envelope
signed, sealed...he hands it over.
It contains a cheque over and above anything
he dared ask for!
"I had it ready for you...."
All he needed to do was ask!!!
Doesn't that remind you of Jesus?
He has His gift ready for us....
All we need to do is ask.
The gift is over and above anything we can ever imagine!!!

Bless Our Home.....

Dear Lord Jesus, bless our home
This world’s a loveless place
As from this humble porch we roam
Surround us with your grace
Lord, keep us in your gracious care
Wherever we may go
Guard our footsteps from each snare
Laid out by fiends below

Dear Lord Jesus, bless our home
A port within life’s storm
A haven where each one may come
To home-fires, safe and warm
Kindly guide our hearts and hands
And fit our tongues with love
Until our feet touch on the sands
Of fairer shores above

Janet~

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,
And to present you faultless before the presence
Of his glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God, our Savior,
Be glory and majesty, dominion and power
Both now and forever
Amen Jude:25

But For God

Tonight I would flounder in worry and doubt
Darkness would crown my tears
Tonight the demons which roam about
Would torture me with their fears
Tonight I would tremble on a hopeless road
Weeping on unfeeling sod
Tonight I would crumble beneath my load
But for God

Tonight the unknown would rob me of sleep
As I view its possibilities
Tonight I would wail and I would weep
Because of the fear of these
Tonight I would have no strength to walk
The path that I must trod
Tonight I would hear no one talk
But for God

But for God, and God alone
Tonight I know I’ll sleep
I cannot view the vast unknown
But He my way will keep
But for God and His great love
I could not bear this vale
He lives below, within, above
And He will never fail

Janet~

God is love. 1 John 4:16

Love never fails. 1 Cor.13:8

No Certainties....but God...part two (Song of Adoration)

Oh God, there’s nothing certain
In this world but You
Your Word, your love, Your promises
Are faithful, changeless, true
The things of this existence
Will vanish in a breath
And nothing here will save us
As we close our eyes in death

Oh God, why do we gather
Vain treasures of this earth
Fire, wind and water
Can strip them from our girth
And should we choose to squander
The blessing of this land
Still we cannot wander
Beyond Your gracious hand

Oh God, this world will perish
And all that is therein
So too will all who cherish
The futile spoils of sin
Should fear and doubt molest us
Remind us then, oh Lord
That You do not forget us
This You’ve promised in Your Word

Janet~


But the Lord is with me
Like a mighty warrior. Jer.20:11

Song of Adoration

Oh God, you do not leave us
To wallow in our guilt
But on the cross of Calvary
Your blood for man was spilt
And in the cleansing power
Of Your love’s crimson flow
You wash the sin-stained sinner clean
And make us white as snow

Oh God, You keep no record
Of our guilt and shame
But took upon Your holy form
Our wretchedness and blame
As far as east is from the west
Our darkest sin is cast
You fill us with your righteousness
Though we deserve Your wrath

Oh God, there is no other
Whose victory is sure
Armed with Your grace and mercy
The weakest can endure
Oh God of great compassion
We bow before Your throne
And pour our adoration
To You and You alone

Janet~

He does not treat us as our sins deserve
Or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are from the earth
So great is His love for those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Ps. 103:10-12

The Way of Love...from the Bible

1 Corinthians 13: Faith, Hope, Love

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

Does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.



The best thing St. Paul ever wrote! Taken from the new King James version of the Bible. I have examined many translations and this strikes me as the best: it retains the gorgeous poetry of the old King James version, while including a crucial improvement: the translation of the Greek word "agape" as "love" rather than "charity". "Agape" (pronounced a-ga-pay') refers to neighbourly love. I suspect that in the 17th century "charity" had a much broader meaning than it does today. --Franca Leeson

Our Greatest Need

What intricate creatures are we?
Similar, yet each our own mystery
Creations of flesh, blood and feeling
Emotional beings of internal appealing
Humanity; prone to want and greed
For our very nature is one of vast need

In the first breath we draw our need is there
The need of hands, to hold and care
Left alone and untouched, we will die
We are creatures of need from our very first cry
As each need is met we unconsciously prove
The universal need in everyone is love

There is no one who is complete on their own
We need each other; we are empty alone
There is no one who does not need love
And if we have known love we have known God
To say there is no God but to profess love to another
Cannot be; there is not one without the other

For God is love; He cradles the earth
His love forms us and gives us breath
To know love is to glimpse His face
It is our choice to know His grace
But He knew our need; He died to prove
The immeasurable depth of His great love

Janet~

Dear friends, let us love one another,
For love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God
and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God,
for God is love. 1 John 4:7-8

Read 1 John ch. 3&4

Symbols of Love

We choose a picture, some chocolate, a rose
Candle-light dinner,wine perhaps or new clothes
Tangible symbols to declare love so true
Gifts from the heart to say, ‘I love you’

He chose a crown made of thorns, not the rose
Some nails and a cross are the symbols He chose
Blood-stained timber on a dark hill-side
Crying, “Father, forgive them,” He loved as He died

All Right Reserved
Janet Martin

A jar of wine vinegar was there,
so they soaked a sponge in it,
put the sponge on a stalk of hyssop plant
and lifted it to Jesus' lips.
When He had received the drink Jesus said,
"It is finished". With that He bowed His head
and gave up His spirit. John 19:29-30

One Way......

We pass through this life but once
Lord, help us not to waste it
Soon this little gasp is gone
With all its wares we’ve tasted

Your love rolls like ten ocean-tides
Your grace so full and free
Would deck a-thousand mountain-sides
And all eternity

We pass through this life but once
Oh may it never be
That we would fall before Your throne
Without Your gift so free

Your love flows in endless streams
Your grace and mercy too
How sad to face eternity
And cry, I never knew

Janet~

Thomas said unto Him,
Lord, we know not where You go
And how can we know the way?
Jesus said unto him,
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No man comes unto the father but by Me.” John 14:5-6

In Everyday Things.......

In the everyday things of life
Oh God, that’s where you are
Not in moments far and few
Nor do You reach from a star
But You indwell us, oh Father
As we cry ‘I believe’
We have Your faithful promise
That you will never leave

In the everyday things of life
You comfort, strengthen, guide
And help us see beyond ourselves
Our sinfulness and pride
You empower from within
Teaching us how to live
And should we stumble yet again
Oh Father, You forgive

In the everyday things of life
You reveal Your love
If we should try to gain it
We could never do enough
But as we see its measure
Heal, encourage and forgive
Humbly, we’re reminded
Of the Grace by which we live

Janet~

Inspired by a few things….
The devotion on In Touch yesterday,(see link in sidebar)
The post, Lessons in Dejection,
on The Good Servant (see link in sidebar)…..

For in Him we live and move
And have our being. Acts 17:28

Lonely Man

Ah, he is a lonely man
A lonely man indeed
Who has not held his Maker's hand
Or ever seen his need

Oh, he is a lonely man
How cold his shadows fall
As he rejects salvation's plan
The greatest love of all

Janet~

Reminder of God's Supremacy

Listen; listen to the roar of His voice
Rumbling like thunder over the earth
He says to the snow ‘fall’ and to the rain ‘pour’
Halting men’s labor as elements roar
And the animal takes cover in its den
His breath produces ice, He scatters lightning
At His direction they swirl where He commands from above
He waters this world to punish or love

Listen oh man, and consider his wonder
How He controls clouds, the lightning and thunder
As the south wind is hushed, you sweat in your clothes
Like the splendor of the sun His majesty glows
Exalted in power; in His righteousness
Mankind reveres Him; He does not oppress
Who darkens His counsel without understanding?
Who is above His supreme commanding?

Where were you when he laid the earth’s foundation?
Who laid the cornerstone of creation?
Who shuts up the sea and bars the door
Where proud waves halt; who marks the shore?
Has ever a man shown the dawn its place?
Or touched the spring of the sea, treading its deep recess?
Have we seen the gates of the shadow of death?
Can we comprehend the vast expanses of earth?

Or tell Him where darkness and light reside
The snow and the hail; can we decide
Who fathers the rain or the drops of dew?
If you speak to the clouds, will they listen to you?
Do we provide food for the creatures of earth?
Or know the hour when doe or mountain goat gives birth?
Can we trust a wild ox to serve at our side?
Bringing us the grain our needs to provide

Tell me, by our wisdom does the hawk take flight?
Do we tell the eagle where to sleep at night?
From the rocky crag he sees afar
On fields of the slain his young ones are
Do we dare to say then ‘aha, aha’
How will we answer Him; with trembling and awe?
Or will we as Job ask, ‘how can I reply?’
And cover our mouth, ‘no answers have I’

Janet~

Then Job answered the Lord and said,
“Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer Thee?
I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Job 40:4

Enough for Me

The sweetness of His promises
Revives our hope in Him
His Word gives light unto our path
As other lights grow dim
And while there seems to be no end
To this world’s vain attraction
He remains a faithful Friend
Offering true satisfaction

As I dwell on His wondrous love
Constant, endless, true
I lift my hands to God above
There’s nothing I can do
To add to anything He gives
Nor can I brush aside
One morsel of the worth which lives
In all, for whom He died

The power of this One true God
Resides in every man
As we pour out our foolish thought
And yield to His great plan
Yet as I try to grasp in full
This love, so rich and free
It is all too wonderful
This love, enough for me

Janet~

Whom having not seen, you love
In whom, though now you see Him not
Yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable
And full of glory:
1 Pet.1:8

Not a Graceless Void

If tonight the veil was parted
As we looked up to the sky
If we saw ten-thousand angels
Lift their golden trumpets high
If on clouds of brilliant glory
We beheld the Son of Man
Returning to conclude a Story
On the earth where it began
Would we rejoice with all the angels?
Would our hearts be over-joyed?
As we thankfully remember
This is not a graceless void

As we see the Throne of Judgment
And the One who sits thereon
The Alpha and Omega
God’s only begotten Son
As we bow before His presence
And confess His sacred Name
Will we see the face of Jesus?
Or our own folly and shame?
Will we tremble with lost sinners
As all sin will be destroyed?
Or thankfully remember
This is not a graceless void

As the Holiest of Holies
Comes to judge the sons of men
As the Book of Life is opened
What will be our utterance then?
Will we plead before a jealous God?
Without mercy or favor
Or will we recognize His Hands
As we reach to our Savior?
Will we cry ‘holy holy’
As to Heaven we’re employed?
For this Judge is also Savior
This is not a graceless void

Janet~

5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”[a]
and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”[b]
So shall it be! Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Footnotes:
a. Revelation 1:7 Daniel 7:13
b. Revelation 1:7 Zech. 12:10

For I Am God.......

Nation will rise against nation
Mightiest kingdoms will fall
This is My declaration
For they do not heed My call
The strongest men will crumble
Returning to ashes and dust
Yet My grace is poured out to the humble
And to all who obey and trust

Who else can be likened to Me?
Who can make anything grow?
Can gods formed by hands of a goldsmith
Wash sinners whiter than snow?
Why do you fall to worship
The idols for which you slave?
Or pray to gods of wood and stone
Who have no power to save?

Fear not, My little children
For all that must come to pass
As surely as it is written
These days shall whither as grass
Has ever a God besides me
Profited any man?
The idol formed from the strengthened tree
Is the tree nourished by My hand

For I am God; there’s no other
There is none like me
I am the God of ancient times
And of days that yet will be
Hear ye, oh stubborn nations
What the God of Israel has said,
‘He frustrates the liars tokens
And drives the diviners mad’

I am the Lord, there is none else
There is no god besides me
I form the light and the darkness
Instruct the wind and the sea
My hand stretches over the heavens
What I purpose will be done
For I am the God of Israel
Besides Me there is none

Janet~

Isaiah Ch. 44-46

Remember the former things of old:
For I am God,
There is none else;
I am God.
There is none like Me. Isa.46:9

I bring near My righteousness;
It shall not be far off and
My salvation shall not tarry:
I will place salvation in Zion
for Israel my glory. Isa.46:13

Love's Elusive Face

We cry, where, oh where is love?
As we seek its elusive face
Searching the vast sky up above
Yet taking God from every place
As we remove him from government, school
Crying from shackles to the winds above
Hailing the enlightened, mortal fool
Where is love, where is love

What is the answer to loneliness?
Why is there such misery?
Is there a cure for hate and bitterness?
Ah, where can all this love be?
And we take God out of homes, even churches
Bar him from the work-place
To and fro the wanderer lurches
Seeking love’s elusive face

Ah, but love has never left us
Love is faithful and remains
A true hope everlasting
From humanity’s cursed chains
Of brokenness, bewilderment
Despair and desolation
Debasement, lies, discontentment
Cries of desperation

Love has never left us
Though He bears constant rejection
Love abides; we cannot alter
Love born of God’s perfection
Love is not a cry abandoned
To a lost and hopeless race
Love streams from the ports of Heaven
From the tears of God’s own face

Janet~



GOD IS LOVE! 1 John 4:8