He remembers

All that is
Jesus remembers

Great or small
On mountaintops
or deep valleys
Jesus remembers

He remembers
your capabilities
and strengthens us
or allows us to rest
in His shadow

He remembers
your discontent
and encourages us
to spend time with Him
focusing on His Love

He remembers
from where you came
and is patient
and gentle and kind
in your suffering moment
faced
facing
and will face

He remembers
the lies heard and told
and the truth
for He is the Truth
In Him, "it is impossible to lie"  (Hebrews 6:18)

He remembers
your desires
your faults
your shame
and opens His arms wide
to envelop you
To set you free
as you were,
as you are,
as you always will be -
His -
yet you travel
a path of your own
making

He remembers
you do not travel
the route He has chosen
you do not seek
His guidance
you do not listen
to His words of wisdom
you do not know
of the promises
He has given you

He remembers
all of it
Even that which you think
is hidden
He knows
"For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light." (Mark 4:22)

He remembers
your selfishness
your pride
your disobedience
your conceit
your defiance
your jealousy
your bitterness
your unbelief

He remembers
seeing all that you were
and all that you are now
and all that you will become
"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth..."  (II Chronicles 16:9)

He remembers
"because, although (you) knew God, (you) did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in (your) thoughts and (your) foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, (you) became fools."  (Romans 1:21-22)

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
January 3, 2018

Alive in our hearts

I think of those gone on
this  Christmas Eve
This Christmas morn

Remembering moments
missing them so
Wishing they were here
to sit awhile and visit
to enjoy a meal together
to be a family once again

O what a gift that would be.

I think of those gone on
this Christmas Eve
this Christmas morn

Remembering
and Realizing too
They gave their hearts to Jesus
as you and I (perhaps?) have too

They are in His Presence -
filled with glory bright
praising and worshipping
at the feet of Jesus
O holy one, most precious

Gone from our physical presence
but present still
in the hearts of loved ones
family and friend
They remain

They are with us
Just as Jesus -
Alive in our hearts

(c) Christmas Day, 2017

We have Jesus

We are scattered
so lost and alone
we fear the future
moments to come
what will it be
we dare not go

We are scattered
yet we are never
fully alone
For He knows
where we are
what we need

Yes, we are scattered
but we are surrounded
by God's love and mercy
shone through His Son
Our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ

December 21, 2017

Jesus - Upon the Cross

Jesus died
He gave His life
and took your sins
Upon the cross
at Calvary

He came to Earth
to pay the price
Walked the road
for you
Upon the cross
at Calvary

He taught
He healed
He loved
He showed The Way
to life eternal
Upon the cross
at Calvary

And you -
you, who He died for
you, who He healed
you who He loved
and loves still -


Have you Accepted His love
His healing
His teaching
His Way

Have you Believed
He died for you
He took your sins
and gave you a new life?

Have you Committed
to turn away from your old life
and turn to Jesus?


The Apostle Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:17: "...if anyone is in Christ, he is a anew creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 

Beginning in Ephesians 4:17 and following, Paul reminds us that we are to "put off our former conduct ... to be renewed in the spirit of our mind ... to put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness ... to put away lying, to speak truth ... to not go to bed angry ... to not steal ... to not use corrupt words..." Verses 31-32 tells us: "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking  be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." 

December 17-18, 2017 

Give it up!

Give it up, My child
The load you carry
It is not I, Jesus, Your Lord and Savior,
but the Devil - Satan himself
who brings you
these heavy burdens.

Wearing on you,
Satan brings one trouble after another
So downtrodden you are
with worry and fear,
resentment, bitterness, deception, rejection.

Give it up, Give it all up
You have no need -
weighted down so.

Come to Me, My child
Rest in Me.
"(I) The Lord will be a refuge
for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble." 
-- Psalm 9:9

"And those who know Your name
will put their trust in You;
For you, Lord, have not forsaken
those who seek you." -- Psalm 9:10

December 1, 2017

Do you ... believe?

ASK
not of those around you
who do not know,
but of  The Lord,
who will guide you
in The Way
best for you.

SEEK
not in worldly things
that do not bring fulfillment,
but God,
who will forgive you,
heal you
restore you,
bring yearnings impossible
for another, to become reality.

KNOCK
not on a loved one's heart's door
that refuses entrance,
but on God's door,
open to all who choose
to believe and trust and commit.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."

 - Matthew 7:7-8

Don't stop!
Ask God
and receive blessings

Seek answers from The Lord
and find The Truth

Knock on heaven's gate
and His mercy and grace
will be opened to you. 

"Do you believe that I (God) am able to do this?" - Matthew 9:28

Thanksgiving Day
Nov. 23, 2017

When ... Trust Him

When you accept Him as Savior
Trust Him to be with you, keeping you safe in His care.

When a setback brings you untold grief
Trust Him for greater strength, endurance to carry on
to reach out to others with love.

When you get caught up in fear and anxious moments
Trust Him to remind you of His blessings.

When you say you love the Lord
Trust Him when He says, "I loved you first."

When you commit to go and do and obey His will
Trust Him to know the way, to show you the way,
to instill in you the truth

When you think it is time to get out of a situation, to move on
Trust Him to give you the answer at the right moment in His time.

When you want this, you want that
Trust Him to give you what you need

When you long for love and find hate
When you look for encouragement and are discouraged
Trust Him who loves you so much that He died for you.

When you want a relationship that's good and solid and pure
Trust Him to give you what is in your best interest

When you've lost what you once had
Trust Him to be there for you

Whenever ... whatever .... however ....
Trust Him ... Trust Jesus .... Trust the Lord
who is more than we shall ever be
and loves us more than we shall ever understand.

(c) Nov. 6 and 7, 2017

Quietness comes to us when we Look Up to Jesus

"Only the place of God will quiet our minds and put our hearts at rest. We must place our hand in His as a little child and allow Him to lead us into the bright sunshine of His love. He knows the way out of the dense, dark forest, so may we climb into His arms, trusting Him to rescue us by showing us the shortest and most reliable road." - Oct. 7 Streams in the Desert

Looking forward
yet fearful

why we ask ourselves
The Lord has said
over and over and over again
He will be with us
He is with us
He enables us
He is our helper

He takes care of the tiny hummingbird
and the beautiful flowers on the open prairie
Why would He not also take care of little ole me

But its different
I think
But is it?
Is it really different?

Look up, Look up
He is there
Is is all around
But upward bound is where
we're headed
And upward is His home on high.

Looking forward
is our future and our hope
Looking backward
often brings sorrow and remorse
Looking downward
is all about myself
But
Looking upward
keeps my eye, my mind,
my heart close and closer
to my Jesus
where all of me belongs

Another can't say to you,
"It will be fine."
Even though you want to hear it
It can't be said
unless they know,
really know,
It will ...
be fine.
You cannot say something
if you don't wholeheartedly believe it
and live it.

Otherwise
it's just talk
and talk is relatively cheap
Action - the doing, the going, the obedience -
that says and shows much more
It shows how much we love
how much we trust
our Lord Jesus.

(c) October 21, 2017

Peace

" 'Come, come,' He calls you, 'O soul oppressed and weary,
Come to the shadows of My desert rest; 
Come walk with Me far from life's nosy discords,
And peace will breathe like music in your breast.' "
                                    - Sept. 29, Streams in the Desert

Peace
a calm
moves over me
Oneness with He
who IS
with me
I can do all things
for the peace of the Lord Jesus
surrounds me
and everywhere I am
everywhere I go
He Is
His music soothes
my soul
The music of His Life, His Love
eternal
and unchanging
Fills me
with hope and joy
in the midst
of life's
endless struggle.

(c) October 15, 2017 

Remove the stone

I believe God
on the mountain top
… when nothing disturbs me
… when I am not at odds with everything around me
… when I am not caught off guard

What about in the valley
… when circumstances contradict
… when funds have dried up
… when health is dismal at best

Do I believe then too
that God is with me
that God will keep me safe
that God still loves me
that I am His forever

“Remove the stone,” 
Jesus said. (John 11:39)

Remove the stone?


Lazarus was in the tomb
four days
when Jesus came
The stench was heavy
Yet Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

But…

But nothing.
Remove the stone.

Have you forgotten?

“Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
Jesus said. (John 11:40)

Remove the stone.
The stone of unbelief

Jesus prays for us, that we may all be one
Like the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are one,
we too may be one with them
completely one
completely loved.

“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation.” (John 11:24)

“I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.” (John 11:26)

Remove the stone …
every stone attempting to crowd in and take over

The glory the Father gave to the Son who in turn gives to us … abiding always and only … is a one-on-one personal, intimate relationship of pure love.

But you must believe ... in the Father, in the Son, in the Holy Spirit ... in united love ... in Truth.

Faith is unutterable trust in God, trust which never dreams that He will not stand by us. - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (August 29)

(c) September 3, 2017

Expressions

Jim Carrey: I Needed Color from JC on Vimeo


It's all about Love. The love of Jesus and expressions of it. Jim Carrey shows it through color in his paintings and sculptures. I show it through poetry and devotional writings.

How about you? How is your love of Jesus expressed?

Waiting

We wait
God waits
We for His promises
said to fulfill
He to renew our motivation,
our inspiration,
our trust
in Him.

He patiently teaches
obedience
We learn
from the wrongs
we do,
the discipline
He doles out,
Father to child.

God waits for us
test after test comes
He will know
when
in all of our waiting,
we are ready
to receive
His blessings.

Our gain
His glory.

(c) July 22-23, 2017

He has all authority

You are the son, the daughter
He is the Father
For the wrongs you've done
you receive discipline
you learn obedience
as you learn
when you think on He who is,
your obedience becomes a given
your attitude changes

You are the son, the daughter
He is the Father
You owe Him your respect
your allegiance
your obedience
because of who He is
not because of who you are
or think you are

God, our most holy Father
in heaven
has all authority
yet He doesn't push it,
doesn't demand it,
doesn't tell us to do this and that
 ... or else

He gives us freedom

Will we choose wisely
and follow the path
directed by our Father

or will be choose foolishly
following a path of
self-destruction

God's blessings are the best
in all of life,
no matter what circumstances
we find ourselves drawn into.

(c) July 19, 2017

the spoken word can be cruel

It made me sad
and unwanted

cruel words
spoken
I wanted to go away
be somewhere else
For what did it matter
...
Words said
Was the meaning understood?
...
maybe not

I read
love is natural
hate is learned
I read
you never know
what impact
you'll have
on another
by what you do
or don't do.
I remember
cruel words
yelled
(when) as a teenager
(I yelled in anger)
at my mother.
I'm sure
looking back
she was sad,
disappointed.

No matter
what our age
in all of life
words spoken
to another
build up
tear down.

Sometimes
building ourselves up
is the way,
discovering
when you want to hide
there is no place
Have to keep going
Keep showing
Keep doing
Keep helping
Keep loving

Just like Jesus
hearing cruel words
bearing the brunt of every cruel deed
for what
for me
for you
because of his great love for us
he died
for us
It made His Father
sad
But He kept on
The greater good
far more important
than our own
feeling of self-worth.

(c) October 14, 2015
updated February 10, 2016

I am but His messenger

"And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

~ I Corinthians 2:1-5

Listen!
No so much to me
but to God
I step aside
It is He who speaks
I am but His messenger
to present, to share The Gospel
of His Son, Jesus

Listen!
Not singular words spoken
But God's word through me

I am but His messenger
It is not
my style of dress
nor how I preach
as you contemplate the message
God has given
It is not about me
I am but the messenger

There is nothing
absolute zilch about me
that opens the door of your heart
to Jesus

Only the Holy Spirit prompts you
to ask and seek
to hear and understand
to pray and believe
to trust
to come
to follow

I am but the messenger

He who loves you so much more
than life itself
He who gave His very life for your soul

Come to Him.
Trust Him.
Follow Him.
Be True to Him.
Him and Him alone.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

July 17, 2017

O where are you ... you of little faith

The trials
They come
They seem to stay
Sometimes they move away
But then they return
and we struggle
we endure
Irritation develops
with others
with ourselves
with our spouses
and our children

This is not God's way

We are failing
Our faith has moved off center
and Jesus is not our focus

O where are you
You of little faith

The trials do not come
to harm us
We are to learn
We are to grow
We are to stand upright
and strong
leaning on Jesus
who gave His all to set us free
Yet we remain locked in
We believe the lies
of others told
of those we tell ourselves

O where are you
You of little faith

If only we would believe
the word of our Father in heaven

The trials bring blessings
Why do we not see
The trials bring us to You -
enabling us to be
more like You
filled with tenderness
and love,
compassion,
patience,
and much, much more.

O you of little faith
Come forth
believe
see
the beauty that abounds
all around you.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

June 15, 2017

Will you follow Jesus first every time?

Based on Matthew 8: 19-22

Jesus tells us to follow Him
We say, I will follow You
wherever You go, BUT …
first let me do this
let me do that
and Jesus says,
Let another one do whatever
You Follow Me.

(c) May 29, 2017

Are you standing at "Wits' End Corner?"

Today's devotional reading in Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman is taken from Psalm 107, followed by a poem written many years ago by Antoinette Wilson. Following that are my thoughts, based on the same psalm.

"They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses."  - Psalm 107:27-28

Are you standing at “Wits End Corner,”
Christian, with troubled brow?
Are you thinking of what is before you,
And all you are bearing now?
Does all the world seem against you,
And you in the battle alone?
Remember - at "Wits End Corner"
Is where God’s power is shown.

Are you standing at “Wits End Corner,”
Blinded with wearying pain,
Feeling you cannot endure it,
You cannot bear the strain,
Bruised through the constant suffering,
Dizzy and dazed, and numb?
Remember - at "Wits End Corner,"
Is where Jesus loves to come.

Are you standing at “Wits End Corner?”
Your work before you spread,
All lying begun, unfinished,
And pressing on heart and head,
Longing for strength to do it,
Stretching out trembling hands?
Remember - at “Wits End Corner”
The Burden-Bearer stands.

Are you standing at “Wits End Corner?”
Then you're just in the very spot
To learn the wondrous resources
Of Him who fails you not:
No doubt to a brighter pathway
Your footsteps will soon be moved,
But only at "Wits' End Corner"
Is the "God who is able" proved.

circa 1900s, Antoinette Wilson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We cry out, in anguish,
and the Lord hears
He delivers us from our distresses

Do we thank Him,
shower Him with praise
for His provision, His blessings, His goodness?

or
do we continue to sit in darkness,
now knowing what to do
at  our wits end, 

bound in one affliction after another

Do we rebel against God,
against God's word
Are we filled with hatred
and contempt
Do we have no use for God
for His wisdom

Again and again
when it is too much
we cry out,
in anguish,
to the Lord
and the Lord,
who loves us so,
saves us,
heals us

Do we thank Him
shower Him with praise
for ALL He is

Do we really care  
how very much He loves us?

or have you forgotten
He sent His Son, Jesus,
to die for you.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

May 23, 2017

Tormented ... yes, but God is our defense

We  are tormented
daily, and more frequently too

Our enemy is everywhere

Do we look to The One
who is our salvation

or are we glued to our own self
trying to make the best of things
laying hope in our fellow tormentor (s)
to come to their senses,
understand the stupidity
of their ways

Tormentors
rejoice
holding themselves higher
than another
are they children of the devil - a fallen angel,
who seeks to destroy
or do they live in a pretend world
where they can hide their own fears
from even themselves


Turn,
turn from the fallenness
you have sunk to

Turn to
the God of Grace
The One
who says,
I AM Your salvation.
Jesus is He.
His words, my pen
to you, to me:

Without Me,
you are nothing.
You have nothing.
You stagger about,
caught up in doing nothing
that is pleasing to Me.
You live to self.
You say you are a believer.
But even the devil believes.
You cry.
Is it I, the Lord, to whom you cry?
Is your trust in Me?
Are you thankful for what I Have Provided?
I AM He
who surrounds you,
who is always with you.
But,
Without your attentive focus on ME,
you will not see
My Ways at work
My Wondrous Glory

you will not notice
My Love for you

you will not hear
My Concern for you

you will not feel
My Comforting Embrace.

Turn from, turn away.
Your purpose for your life
is in Me. Turn to Me.

Turn to Jesus.

(c) May 22, 2017

Based on Psalm 56:1-11 (I originally read this from the New King James version. Here, God's word is taken from The Message)
"Take my side, God—I'm getting kicked around, stomped on every day. Not a day goes by but somebody beats me up; They make it their duty to beat me up. When I get really afraid I come to you in trust. I'm proud to praise God; fearless now, I trust in God. What can mere mortals do? They don't let up— they smear my reputation and huddle to plot my collapse. They gang up, sneak together through the alleys To take me by surprise, wait their chance to get me. Pay them back in evil! Get angry, God! Down with these people! You've kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book. If my enemies run away, turn tail when I yell at them, Then I'll know that God is on my side. I'm proud to praise God, proud to praise GOD.  Fearless now, I trust in God; what can mere mortals do to me?" 

His way

It is His way
even tho we disobey
He takes away
and gives anew
The storm gathers momentum
We think all is lost
and we are without hope
But the Lord God is the Master
He creates us
from the dust of the ground
and breathes into us Life
We are unique and His much-loved
masterpiece.

(c) May 4, 2017